“Who is he, asks Abdullah” is the New Sunday Times headline for the report of what it described as “The gloves came off yesterday.”
The New Sunday Times reported from Kota Kinabalu yesterday that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s “patience finally wore off and he lambasted his predecessor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad”, viz:
Abdullah said Dr Mahathir was acting as if it was he (Dr Mahathir) who should determine who played what role in the party.
“Who is he? He has left Umno but he still issues orders to members of Umno. The party does not need to take orders from anyone who is no longer a member of the party,” said Abdullah who was here to attend the Hari Malaysia and closing of the Merdeka month celebrations.
“He is trying to create a rift and (incite) anger and hatred. What is wrong with people who work with me? He is trying to teach people to hate one another.”
The Umno president said this in referring to a posting on Dr Mahathir’s blog, calling on Umno to rid itself of all those who supported Abdullah, referring to them as “toadies”.
“Who is he when he is no longer a member of UMNO?”
Abdullah cannot be naïve in not knowing the answer to his own query, although his rhetorical question is meant to convey his frustration, impotence and bitterness than to elicit a real answer.
The answer is clear for all – the country is witnessing the return of Mahathirism with the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad seen as having become the single most powerful and influential individual to UMNO although he is “no longer a member of the party”.
In fact it would be more congruent with the power reality for Mahathir to ask, “Who is he” when referring to Abdullah, than for Abdullah to pose this question vis-à-vis Mahahtrir.
This is because Mahathir was transformed from a gadfly into “king-maker” on October 8 the instant Abdullah announced that he had buckled down to pressures in Umno Supreme Council for an early exit as Prime Minister next March and would not defend the post of Umno President.
This is obvious from the following incidents:
· Cabinet Ministers beginning to distance themselves from Abdullah after the Oct. 8 announcement as observed and deplored by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Johari Baharom earlier this week;
· Overnight reversal of role with Abdullah’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin transformed from “top dog” to “underdog” in Umno Youth chief election – while Mukhriz Mahathir swept nominations including securing the requisite 39 nominations to contest Umno Youth chief in the first of four weekends for nominations while Khairy is still struggling to get his “passport” to contest even after a second weekend of nominations. Mukhriz would be in Khairy’s shoes, struggling to get the requisite 39 nominations, if not for Abdullah’s Oct. 8 announcement.
· The landmark Hari Raya Open House of Umno stalwart Rauf Yusoh on Tuesday evening, where the guests and guests-of-honour signal the real wielders of power in Umno and Barisan Nasional government today – Najib Razak, Muhyiddin Yasin, Syed Hamid Albar, Shafie Apdal together with Mahathir.
Abdullah also zeroed in on Muhyiddin in his lambasting in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, as the International Trade and Industry Minister had called for the Umno party elections to revert back from March next year to December, as it is also tantamount to forcing Abdullah to an earlier exit as Prime Minister in December as well.
In fact, Mahathir had never hidden his position that he wants Abdullah to step down immediately, claiming that there is nothing Abdullah could achieve as Prime Minister in the next five months.
Abdullah should know that his writ has now shrunk to very limited power, scope and effect – whether in government or even in Cabinet.
Although in response to Abdullah’s uncharacteristic outburst, Muhyiddin has backed off and denied that his call for early Umno party elections meant that Abdullah speed up the transfer of power to Najib, Abdullah should have a healthy cynicism and skepticism when his original June 2010 power transition plan had been scuttled repeatedly by the same tactics.
The question Abdullah faces is: can his last five months as Prime Minister survive the return of Mahathirism?
Will the Umno Supreme Council meeting tomorrow decide another modification of the power-transition plan, reverting the Umno party elections to December and shortening Abdullah’s five-month exit as Prime Minister by another three months?
Even if Umno Supreme Council just decide on reverting back the Umno party elections to December without any mention about the power-transition plan, what is there to stop a resolution by acclamation at the Umno General Assembly in December demanding the immediate transfer of power for Najib to take over as the sixth Prime Minister instantly after the Umno general assembly?
#1 by zak_hammaad on Monday, 20 October 2008 - 10:56 am
limkamput Says:
>> We are scr*wed simply because we have too many stupid people around.
I hope you can see the irony of this statement of yours, lol.
#2 by dbrutal on Monday, 20 October 2008 - 11:43 am
What a great turning of event,
Few months ago, you guys were lambasting AAB with all sort of accusations to bring him down and now you are screaming for him to cling on to his power. It’s actually too late and this will serve you guys very right since you guys know that AAB was only made the biggest scapegoat for the government failure to reform as the AAB successors will reform you guys also. Good luck to you guys and thank you very much for the awakenings. The red is still red and the black will remain black as you guys will sit back and re evaluate for what you guys have written in this blog and it’s implication on the Malaysian Political Field in the future to you and your generation. ADIOS
#3 by Loh on Monday, 20 October 2008 - 2:16 pm
The departure of AAB is certain but the return of Mahathirism depends on who the next PM is and whether he had to depend on TDM for survival.
It is almost certain that Najib will be elected, possibly unopposed, as the President of UMNO. Najib knows very well that people in Malaysia and others around the world are yet to be convinced that Najib had nothing to do with the murder of Atlantuya, and Najib has made statement in mosque to say that he never knew Atlantuya. He should be happy that a reputed authority in the country would be able to clear him of this doubt. But Najib had the inertia to request the PM to give him an opportunity to have his name cleared by the Police. PM AAB has chosen to claim Najib’s innocence rather than to act on statutory declaration of Balasingam, a private investigator who made two declarations which contradicted one another, and Balasingam is missing. When the government could act on a police report on sodomy, why didn’t the government act on a report which concerns murder? Even President Mugabee of Zimbawee would not claim that sodomy is a more serious crime that murder. That example could explain why AAB has to abdicate his UMNO presidency.
TDM claims that Najib is being demonized. It helps to support that Najib might not have a case to answer, though TDM had not claimed, like AAB did that Najib was a good man, meaning that he could not be involved with Atlantuya which only bad man did. Though UMNO members doing their election round are not questioning Najib’s involvement, Najib’s position in the party is not affected whether Najib proves his innocence or not.
Since AAB has chosen not to give Najib the clearance by the police of his non-involvement in the murder case, Najib will therefore have to depend on TDM to provide the guarantee, or more accurately, for TDM not to withdraw his confirmation when Najib becomes the PM. If Najib has to depend on TDM, can Najib claim that he is his own man? So, whether Mahathirism would return depends on whether Najib is cleared.
AAB should know what harms TDM can bring to the government, even when AAB did not have to depend on TDM’s guarantee. AAB should therefore prevent TDM from having any hold over Najib. It is the perception that counts. Najib is perceived to be involved until he is officially cleared by the police. It is understandable that Najib would not request an investigation on himself. Unless AAB does not want to be the only person to be brought down by TDM, and is keen to have somebody to cry over the shoulders in the future, he should do Najib a service by getting the police to investigate thoroughly on the murder. Only a PM perceived to be clean would be able to lead the country away from Mahathirism.
#4 by waterfrontcoolie on Monday, 20 October 2008 - 5:26 pm
Zak., we are indeed screwed all the way to Timbuktoo! With a party created for the personal gains of the few ‘elites’ and their families, the Kampung folks will be continued to be brain-washed with all kinds of subtle fears through imagined dangers based on belief and skin colour. As I have noted, there is nothing wrong with the medium of instruction in teaching maths or science subjects; especially amongst the rural folks: what is wrong is the indoctrination of fears based on faith which also implies that certain language will eventually subvert your mind. Hence from a very young age, the mind is already shut up. No matter what knowledge or idea that such mind comes across, it will automatically shut it out. The brain will reject it even in its sleep!
Hence the fun will come when all the resources from Petronas is KAPUT! And this is the very easy path to follow, the path to Zimbabwee!!
#5 by Godfather on Monday, 20 October 2008 - 5:55 pm
….and Zak Hammaad the foreigner and avid supporter of Mamakthir, will have to follow his hero to Harare !
#6 by shamshul anuar on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 - 1:16 pm
Dear Vsp,
I am afraid it is not possible for Pak Lah to join PKR. First, as the response on the ground is that many malays regret joining PKR. But of course, you will not get this kind of info in this blog.
As for PKR, it is now he laughing stock after failed attempt by Anwar to topple Federal Govt. Another date is given. And Malaysians, ever being gullible, just love the soap opera.