PETALING JAYA: Allegations against Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, made by sacked supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, will have no impact as the latter has no real following in the party, said political analysts.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan said Tajuddin carries a lot of baggage and his claims against Zahid would only come across as retaliation for his removal from the supreme council.
He said Tajuddin’s allegations are old and already well known in political circles and among party members.
“His claims won’t carry any weight because of who he is. He is well known for the mistakes he made as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairman last year, and his uncouth behaviour as a member of Parliament (MP).
“The stigma that follows Tajuddin will make his claims unbelievable and will be taken lightly by the public. If he wanted to spill the beans about Zahid, he should have done so while he was a supreme council member, and not after he had been removed from it.
“His actions will only hurt those who want to remove Zahid before the next general election. His sour-grapes attitude will only make it harder for those opposing Zahid to remove the party president whom they see as a liability.”
Azmi said Tajuddin’s conduct is also unbecoming of a person who has been appointed ambassador to Indonesia and will only hurt Malaysia’s image abroad.
“Besides, who will respect a person who is at ‘war’ with his party’s leadership?”
He said many would be sceptical of Tajuddin’s claims that 130 divisional leaders want Zahid removed.
On the impact the allegations would have on Umno, Azmi said it is very unlikely to hurt the party in the coming general election.
“The party will ride out his claims because of who made them.”
The Pasir Salak MP had also accused Zahid of making unilateral decisions for the party, saying members of the supreme council, the highest decision-making body in Umno, just went along with his (Zahid’s) decisions.
Tajuddin had also claimed to be a “living witness” to Zahid’s efforts to get Umno members of Parliament to sign statutory declarations backing Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
One of the controversies Tajuddin had been involved in was his 1995 sacking by the Umno supreme council for money politics involving RM6 million, which he was alleged to have paid to become Pasir Salak Umno division chief.
In 2016, Tajuddin faced criticism when he said: “The only woman with a ‘Kok’ is in Seputeh”, referring to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
National Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir concurred with Azmi that there is nothing new about Tajuddin’s claims.
He said Tajuddin, who is a controversial figure, could continue to make claims which would not carry any traction but only hurt his image.
“Umno grassroots leaders know all about the allegations made by Tajuddin, but they will not want to rock the boat now or cause any split within the party as the general election could be just round the corner.
“Any split within Umno will only hurt the party. Senior Umno leaders want to win the next general election with a big majority.”