By Abdul Rashid Hasnol
RECENTLY, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Umno “will not surrender, be bullied or bought”. His remarks, posted on his Facebook, came as calls for him to take leave, grew louder.
Zahid’s comments however, contradicts an earlier news report that he had written a letter to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong pledging support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be Prime Minister.
Zahid, an ex-Deputy Prime Minister has not come out strongly to deny that he has written the letter, which has since gone viral. Political insiders insist that the letter, which was also signed by ex-PM Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak, is authentic.
If that is true, doesn’t that mean Zahid has already “surrendered”, if not been “bullied and bought”?
For Zahid to support Anwar, a figure detested by many in Umno, some kind of deals would have been struck. There is no free lunch.
The popular theory is that in exchange for the support from Zahid and the kluster mahkamah (court cluster), Anwar would drop the charges against the former and his ilk – if the latter comes to power.
Kluster mahkamah refers to Umno MPs facing corruption charges, including Zahid, Najib, Datuk Seri Azeez Rahim, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has already said he would not interfere in the ongoing court cases involving the MPs. Prior to the proclamation of Emergency, the Muhyiddin administration was hanging on by a thread.
So, is Zahid using this as a leverage to get himself a get-out-of-jail card if his ex-boss Anwar seizes control of Putrajaya?
If that is so, that means he is cutting deals with a figure Umno has publicly declared it would not work with. And is Zahid doing it solely for his personal gains?
It looks like Zahid’s pledge that Umno “will not surrender, be bullied or bought” has been undermined by himself, of all people, to ensure that he stays a free man. – Feb 1, 2021
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
