There was a buzz in the air recently after deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had sensationally claimed that there were attempts to persuade Barisan Nasional to leave the unity government and to have him installed as the new prime minister!
Inevitably, questions were raised whether the “revelation” was merely a “feel good” move by the Umno president to remind his own party members that UMNO-BN was still the main power broker in the country; and also that by being able to reject such a move it implied that he actually held considerable clout in the current administration.
Interestingly, former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan in responding to the news had commented in his popular Keluar Sekejap podcast that it was probably designed to make Zahid look like a hero - and to portray him as a "saviour of the unity government!"
But will DAP, PKR and Amanah easily buy that?
Shahril had also said that regardless of the authenticity of the claim by the Umno president the important thing was that such narratives were something his party members would love to feed on.
Meanwhile, Shahril’s podcast co-host Khairy Jamaluddin (aka KJ), typically, appeared more sceptical as to the “real truth” in his former party president’s ostentatious claims; according to the former Umno Youth chief, it could be that Zahid may have bumped into some opposition MPs at the Dewan Rakyat who may have then jokingly suggested that he form a new government.
KJ and Shahril seemed to have taken Zahid's claims with a “pinch of salt”, but could they be underestimating their politically savvy former boss?
In fact, only last month firebrand opposition Arau MP Shahidan Kassim had openly admitted to having 'invited' BN to join the Perikatan Nasional coalition in forming a new federal government; however, he denied ever having a face-to-face meeting with the current Umno president on the subject.
The ex-Umno warlord did drop a hint that his current party PAS had also spoken about inviting Umno into their ranks with the Islamist party’s spiritual leader having previously expressed a desire for such a collaboration.
So who could be the “actors” in this latest “backdoor” episode?
For the record, Zahid had earlier mentioned quite clearly that there were several opposition MPs who came to see him to form a new administration. So it was definitely more than one person - it had to be a group!
Secondly, while KJ in his podcast may have dismissed his former party president’s claims as somewhat far-fetched, the fact remains that Zahid had “specifically” stated that they (the opposition group) had asked for four cabinet posts to be given to them; so, definitely the deputy prime minister couldn't be telling a tall tale as what some critics may be claiming.
Another hint that Zahid had dropped was when he stated that “they had tasted blood and they know what it feels like to become ministers!” While Bersatu had also tasted power before, would its leaders really relish working with Umno again? After all, wasn't their own president Muhyiddin forced to step down in favour of Ismail Sabri Yaakob the last time they were in the same government?
Furthermore, given the current discord in the opposition camp, with PAS clearly anxious to take over the leadership and doing things its way, wouldn't it appear that the Islamist party has a greater sense of urgency to form a new government; crucially, don't they also have the highest representation in parliament with more than 40 lawmakers?
Interestingly, the timing of Zahid’s claims also seemed to coincide with Hashim Jasin’s recent remarks that it would be good for Malays and Muslims if Umno was to join forces with his coalition; unsurprisingly, the PAS leader had also stressed that they needed to unite because of the threat from the “enemies of Islam” who were planning and moving!
To add to the intrigue, Zahid had said that the group was expecting at least four ministerial posts; again, some observers may say that it could not be Muhyiddin’s embattled party as it appears more on a survival mode now and does not have the numbers in parliament to issue such a demand, plus neither does it seem to have the conviction to consider itself as a kingmaker.
Are Bersatu leaders in the right "frame of mind” now to contemplate a “coup”…?
The bottom line is that, while there may not be an existential threat to PM Anwar’s unity government at this juncture, especially with its solid two-thirds majority in parliament, there will always be plans by conniving opponents to destabilise it; as such, shouldn't PH constantly be on the guard and not write off any alleged backdoor attempts? And while critics may argue that Zahid would have “milked” the entire episode to burnish his own credentials, could it also be an indirect warning to Anwar and his coalition to take cognizance of who the real enemies are?
Information source: FMT, NST and Malay Mail
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