By Niza Shimi
Look up these days and you might see parachute politicians falling from the skies. It is fully expected that more will be parachuted in the build-up to nomination day for the 15th general elections (GE15).
The recent announcement that former police chief Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador will be contesting in Rembau on the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition ticket and as a member of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) is a big drop from out of the blue skies, so to speak.
(According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the word 'parachuting' first appeared in France in 1951, even though the strategy of running heavyweights in a district where they have few ties is much older. Writer Anne Chemin explains, "parachuting" is a political metaphor that comes from war. It means sending an outsider officer to the electoral front. In the United States, this concept is known to some as "carpetbagging.")
As reported by the Malay Mail, Bador, the former inspector general of police and a political newbie, will most probably be up against United Malays National Organisation’s (UMNO) deputy-president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, fondly known as Tok Mat Hasan.
Rembau is a parliamentary constituency that has been in the news recently as a three-term incumbent representative, UMNO’s Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) told the media that he was asked to vacate the seat to make way for Tok Mat Hasan.
At a recent handover ceremony reported by Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Tok Mat Hasan reassured the somewhat reluctant KJ, that the party would parachute him somewhere else suitable for the popular caretaker Minister of Health.
Tok Mat would not be a parachute candidate because he was born in Rembau and is the Rembau UMNO division chief. He currently is the state assemblyman for Rantau, a seat he won in 2004 and was made Menteri Besar until 2018 following the fall of Barisan Nasional (BN).
At the handover, Tok Mat Hasan said, “That’s the family spirit in Rembau; we are ‘beradat’ (civilised).
It would be interesting to find out where KJ would be parachuted. Much as it pains him to leave Rembau, with his experience and popularity, especially during his recent stint as Health Minister, KJ would do well in an urban seat and with younger voters.
Once known as a young firebrand whose loyalty to UMNO is often puzzling, considering that UMNO is as establishment as can be, KJ has toned down as he grows older and becomes a mature family man. More is expected from this energetic and intelligent UMNO politician.
One thing is for sure, if Bador was parachuted into Rembau it is because Tok Mat Hasan is a marked man. In soccer, this means a defender will be following the marked player to prevent him from scoring a goal. Will more "heavyweight" candidates be parachuted in from other parties against Tok Mat?
The rumour mills have been rife that Tok Mat Hasan might be named the deputy prime minister with caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob to remain should Barisan Nasional win GE15.
More parachute politicians are expected to be dropped around the country as election day nears. The burning question is, where will former deputy prime minister and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim be parachuted?
Anwar had teased that he would contest in seats of PKR traitors. Perikatan Nasional has dared Anwar to stand against former comrade-in-arms Datuk Seri Azmin Ali in his Gombak seat. Azmin crossed over to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the Sheraton Move that toppled the Pakatan Harapan government.
Will Anwar rise to the challenge?
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