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KUALA LUMPUR – Key meetings earlier this week could determine whether Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin remains in power, and his biggest ally, Umno, will decide on his threat to deprive the Malaysian prime minister of his minimal control of Parliament.
Monday (October 19) will see Umno, the prime minister’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) attempt to resolve differences using their pro-Malay Muslim platform Muafakat Nasional (MN).
The once dominant Umno, who has been irritated by being Bersatu’s second fiddler, will also hold a supreme council meeting on Tuesday. But it remains to be seen whether the party’s highest decision-making body will need to ratify any deal that is reached in the MN showdown, which could include a cabinet reshuffle.
With the crucial Budget 2021 to be presented in Parliament in fifteen days, the nascent government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) is running out of time to avoid collapse. This could result in a possible snap election amid a new coronavirus pandemic.
The Umno political bureau, chaired by President Zahid Hamidi, decided last Tuesday that it would seek better conditions to remain in the PN, a move that came a few hours after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed to have the backing of more than 120 deputies after an audience with the King.
Umno has 39 deputies, more than a third of the 113 in PN, which gives it a slim majority in the 222-member Parliament.
But the backlash over a possible alliance with Datuk Seri Anwar, head of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, and especially its biggest ally, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), has caused Zahid to stop. The Chinese-dominated DAP is accused not only by Umno, but also by other Malay Muslim parties in PN of undermining the interests of the Malay majority.
The PAS leadership was among the first to reprimand Umno for undermining PN’s stability after Zahid admitted last month that there were “many MPs” in the party who supported Anwar.
“If this situation is true, it means that Umno has not complied with the MN letter signed on September 14, 2019 … with the aim of uniting Muslims in the country and defeating PH,” said the general secretary of PAS, Takiyuddin Hassan.
Ruling pact officials have revealed to The Straits Times that Zahid, the former deputy prime minister, is demanding a cabinet reshuffle that expands Umno’s role and that his ministers be selected based on “party hierarchy.” They add that Zahid is trying to reestablish his control over the party, having seen his authority undermined by Prime Minister Muhyiddin since he formed the government in March.
Most of the Umno ministers appointed in March went to Zahid’s rivals in the party and he also felt embarrassed when he was forced to hand over the position of Sabah’s chief minister to Bersatu after they won the September 26 vote. in the easternmost state last month.
“The party’s elections are due to take place next year and there are several who are already thinking about Zahid’s presidency,” said a source.
Zahid also has to grapple with a possible internal coup, as Malaysia’s longest-serving lawmaker, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, offers himself as interim prime minister until the next general election, slated for 2023.
Official sources told The Straits Times that Zahid met with members of the Umno high council individually on Thursday to cajole them into staying with him instead of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the head of the party’s advisory council.
After alleged letters to the palace emerged on Saturday (October 17), stating that Zahid and former Prime Minister Najib Razak, his predecessor as head of Umno, were backing Anwar, the party leadership has stridently denied any intention to cooperate. with your -time nemesis or DAP.
This softening stance came after Zahid met with his PAS counterpart Hadi Awang on Friday night. With another meeting including Bersatu boss Muhyiddin taking place before the official MN showdown, it appears PAS could be a crucial peacemaker between its two warring partners.
A senior Bersatu official said: “Umno is not worried about clashing with Bersatu, but he saw the damage of facing PAS in the 2018 elections. However, PAS sees Bersatu as a more willing partner because their strengths do not overlap, while Umno has traditionally claimed all states except Sarawak. “
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