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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright January 2023
There is this sense of nervousness in the air ever since the formation of the new government that someone might make a move to unseat Anwar and create yet another political turmoil in the country. This has been worrying everyone from the roti canai seller to investors overseas.
One scenario that worries us all is what is popularly termed as "Sheraton Move 2". Many have often thought that it could be a possible sequel to what was accomplished by the opposition that toppled PH government two years earlier through the Sheraton Move.
The other scenario is within UMNO itself, where Zahid's contenders might want to unseat him as the incumbent president - which in turn could lead to withdrawal of support for Anwar's government and eventually lead to its downfall.
However, the first scenario has since been dismissed as an unlikely possibility. The opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin himself assured the public that the Opposition are not planning any moves to topple the government. Apparently they are willing to allow Anwar's administration to do its job and perhaps complete its term until the next general election.
According to Daily Express, Hamzah said that allowing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim "a chance to govern and prepare Malaysia for some tough economic realities in 2023 has demonstrated that the opposition truly cared for the country and its well-being".
If you could accept that, then you are amongst those who think Anwar will be safe-guarded from what Muhyiddin and his fellow MPs did in 2018. Besides, everyone seems to think that it would not be possible mathematically because the opposition just does not have the numbers they needed to dethrone Anwar.
On the other hand, there are some unfounded rumours that Vice Presidents of UMNO were involved in trying to unseat Zahid, but this has also been dismissed as untrue.
Ismail Sabri said insinuations that he was involved in the plot, nicknamed the “London Move”, were aimed at tarnishing his reputation in Umno. “I strongly deny it (claims of involvement in the plot). These are malicious lies,” he said.
So we can safely say that Anwar may be safe because the plan to unseat Zahid is just another hoax.
However, what Zahid Hamidi said next came as a surprise. He said he is open to being challenged by anyone for the number one position in the upcoming party election. He added that it was to give an opportunity to about 160,000 delegates to choose the party’s president and its deputy president.
By Zahid's tone, it seems that he appears quite sure of himself. He obviously knew his chances of winning the support of the UMNO assembly to retain his position as president before inviting others to challenge him and his deputy.
By the end of the second week of January we shall know how 160k members vote. If they chose to keep Zahid, then Anwar's position is secure.
On the other hand should they pick the other contenders, then the party might return to its original resolution of not supporting Anwar or be in coalition with DAP. They may then withdraw support for Anwar, pulling all 30 MPs of UMNO-BN out from the current administration.
Anwar's government would be then left with a simple majority. Without a two third majority, it would be hard to move major acts through Parliament, a real fear as expressed by Lim Kit Siang who had urged Anwar to implement changes quickly because he might not have five years to achieve all major reforms planned.
Anyway, Anwar's position as PM is safe now - but for how long?
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