FORMER prime minister and current leader of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin made headlines recently when he said that he not only masterminded the formation of the party but is the prime cause of the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
Maybe he is right in saying that the formation of Bersatu was his initiative after he was sacked from UMNO.
He was removed for questioning the former prime minister Najib Tun Razak for the latter’s involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
It is clear that it was Muhyiddin who worked clandestinely to undermine the PH government from the start.
Former prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohammed knew about these sinister moves but kept silent to ensure that such moves would be able to checkmate Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
The rapid rise of anti-Chinese sentiments in general and against the DAP were not the work of some mysterious forces termed the “deep state” then.
The “deep state” was nothing but the forces headed by Muhyiddin with the knowledge of Mahathir to undermine the legitimate PH Government.
The PH government was caught unprepared to the extent that they had placed trust in Mahathir to take control of the situation.
Mahathir was responsible for pinching the baby and rocking it to sleep at the same time.
In fact a master plan was hatched and executed with near precision to ensure that the multi-racial government would not last too long.
Mahathir was both an accomplice as well as an arch-egoist who had his own plans quite independent of Bersatu.
He resigned after the collapse of the PH government but came up with bizarre and preposterous ideas of a unity government – one that would be headed by him but with handpicked members that are not based on any political affiliation.
The idea had no traction whatsoever but went to reveal the diabolical nature of the man who would not have any hesitation in imposing a one-man administration if he had the choice.
He later went on to suggest the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoint him as the head of a national emergency council at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The arrest and detention of the 12 Indians, some from the DAP, was an attempt to intimidate DAP.
The Malay dignity conference was another attempt to intimidate the non-Malays when Mahathir was prime minister.
While the dark and ominous clouds were gathering to bring about a coup against the PH government, the coalition itself was in a state of disarray.
PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) relied more and more on Mahathir to save the situation from collapsing under its own weight.
From the state of the PH government, the writing on the wall was clear that Mahathir would never allow PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to succeed him, even though it was a transition plan.
But Mahathir made a mincemeat of the PH’s transition plan that would have allowed Anwar to succeed him.
Mahathir had no such intention – it was simply gullibility from PH’s end.
They thought with Mahathir on their side, “our prime minister” or “my prime minister” will take care of the extreme forces.
However, Mahathir proved to be not the solution but part of the problem.
Even after the collapse of the PH government, there were some unsuccessful attempts to prop Mahathir up as prime minister once more.
Anwar knew Mahathir’s tricks but bided his time thinking that he had a small window of opportunity.
He was so caught up with the position so much that he failed to challenge Mahathir on the breach of the transition plan.
Muhyiddin by his own admission said that he was the prime architect in the collapse of the PH government.
He didn’t have to reveal something that the whole world had already known.
He trusted Mahathir but not the extent of the PH coalition.
Muhyiddin takes pride in Bersatu in the fact that he was the brains behind its formation.
He was forced to resign as prime minister after losing his majority.
The Melaka state election might be his Waterloo.
With PAS beside him, he needs no enemies.
It is not the question of whether the PN is going to win the election or not.
Rather, the question is more about the relevance of Bersatu in national politics.
Muhyiddin might take pride in the formation of Bersatu, but I am not sure whether he is willing to take the blame in the possibility of the collapse of the party. – Nov 12, 2021
