IN THE recent UMNO general assembly, UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh created a stir by urging party members to not be satisfied with their second fiddle role in the government today.
“We do not want UMNO to be comfortable with the current situation of being a party that complements others in the unity government. UMNO needs to return to being the dominant party in the nation’s political landscape.
“While we may be aligned with certain groups today, that could shift next week based on what the rakyat and party members require,” he was quoted as saying to hint that UMNO might go solo in the next general election.
However, just a day after Akmal had urged UMNO to rise above its second fiddle position and once again to rule the nation, its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi poured cold water on the idea by stating that it is premature to assume that UMNO is a dominant party as it once was.
Echoing Zahid, UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Ghani also stated that he believes it will take “two to three more general elections” to restore UMNO to its former level.
In tune with Zahid and Johari, Universiti Malaya’s political analyst Prof Dr Awang Azman Pawi also chipped in to dismiss Akmal’s urging by asserting that one-party superiority is now a thing of the past.
Return of one-party superiority
Regardless of what Zahid, Johari and Azman are saying, I think there is still a good chance that one party superiority in the country’s political landscape is a phenomenon that we might see again in the future even if it looks like it has disappeared from the scene in the present today.
The reason I believe this is simply because the concept of multi-party collaboration on the basis of equality might just be an untenable proposition in our political reality.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) 1.0 government in 2018, led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was likely the first time that the concept of multi-party collaboration was introduced in Malaysia.
It was such a grand failure that the Dr Mahathir-led PH government collapsed after just 22 months – a short reign that was marked by high degree of incoherence, confusion, miscommunication and general dysfunction.
The Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led Muafakat Nasional-Perikatan Nasional (PN) multi-party cooperation that replaced Pakatan 1.0 also fared no better.
Infighting among the political parties that made up the coalition first caused the Muhyiddin’s reign to collapse in just 17 months before being replaced by Ismail Sabri’s lame duck administration whose castrated, forgettable and inconsequential reign lasted for a mere 15 months.
Just like its multi-party predecessors, the unity government is also marred by instability, incoherence, confusion and infighting.
Vested interest
While it has remarkably lasted for nearly two years, it has been troubled by rumours and suspicion which persist until today that it could at any time collapse.
As of today, the only stable and functional government that Malaysia has had is the one that follows the old UMNO-MCA-MIC model where one of the parties in the coalition will act as an “older brother” while the remaining parties will behave as the younger siblings.
The replacement to this concept where the “older brother” and the “younger sibling” will behave as equals – as practised in Malaysia since 2018 – has yet to show signs of being stable or functional.
In the current Madani government for example, it is not as if DAP, PKR and UMNO are happy being in an equal partnership.
They have just resigned themselves to an equal partnership simply because none of them have the internal strength or external support to raise themselves up above the others – and institute an “older brother, younger sibling” form of partnership.
While Jo Ghani and Zahid might be right in saying that UMNO today is not in the position to exert its old dominance in the political landscape of the country, the reason could he because their leadership is incapable of providing UMNO with the sort of strength that will allow it to exert its old dominance.
Just because they can’t do it, it doesn’t mean there is nobody who can do it. The person who can probably lead UMNO back to its old dominant status is currently languishing in the Kajang prison.
Everybody in UMNO knows that it is upon him that UMNO can depend on to rejuvenate their party because even after two years since he has been incarcerated, UMNO has still not given up hope that he can be released before his 12 years sentence is over.
They are still hoping that he will be released at the earliest possible time because they are hopeful that he will lead UMNO back to its glory once he is released,
Crocodile tears
Zahid and his daughter might be shedding tears at the UMNO general assembly in remembrance of Najib languishing in the confines of Kajang prison but other than shedding tears, it is questionable as to whether they are willing to do anything to bring Najib out of jail.
Najib’s return might revive UMNO but Zahid himself might become insignificant if UMNO is revived.
In a weak UMNO, Zahid is the captain but in a strong UMNO, it is doubtful whether Zahid will even have a place as a crew member.
Zahid is a deeply unpopular figure in UMNO and amongst the Malays. His collaboration with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the post-15th general election (GE 15) era is still viewed with suspicion by UMNO members and the Malay electorate.
In fact, his action to remove UMNO leaders like Khairy Jamaluddin and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is also a deeply unpopular decision.
Considering that, if Najib is ever released, and he returns to lead UMNO and brings back figures like Khairy and Hishamuddin into the UMNO fold, it is questionable as to whether Zahid will still have a place or presence in the party.
Without a place or presence in UMNO, it is almost certain that Zahid will not have a position in the government, and without a position in the government, his DNAA (dismissal not amounting to acquittal) for his 47 court cases might just re-surface and haunt him in his sunset years.
It is therefore not surprising that Zahid has quickly dismissed Akmal’s call to rejuvenate UMNO.
Given the option of being a captain in a sinking ship – and a cast overboard out of a smooth sailing ship – who in their right mind would choose the latter? – Aug 26, 2024
Nehru Sathiamoorthy is a roving tutor who loves politics, philosophy and psychology.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
