THERE have been plenty of eyebrow-raising moments following the conclusion of UMNO’s annual general assembly (AGM) last week. On the top of the list is definitely Umno’s decision to sever political ties with Bersatu in the 15th General Election (GE15).
To the casual observer, this resolution hardly carries any weight, seeing as to how very few Umno leaders are willing to walk their talk.
Despite Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s announcement that the party could withdraw its support for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Government “any time” and that Umno ministers and deputy ministers would not hesitate to resign, what is interesting is the fact that only a few Umno Cabinet members have stated their readiness to vacate their posts.
Others, like Pasir Salak MP and Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman are more inclined to cling on to their posts until the Dewan Rakyat’s dissolution, whenever that will be.
More recently, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – who is also the president of Bersatu – announced that an understanding has been reached for all Umno ministers to continue serving in his Cabinet.
According to Muhyiddin, several ministers from Umno hold key portfolios linked to the Government’s primary focus at the time being, and he did not want their resignation from the Cabinet to adversely affect the Government’s measures to tackle the pandemic and efforts for the economic recovery.
For a party that has given the impression during the general assembly that it will – by hook or by crook – withdraw its support for the PN Government, Umno’s resolve suddenly seems shaky, doesn’t it?
Political drama notwithstanding, what is immediately clear from the Umno-Bersatu clash is that the political instability in Malaysia has climbed to new heights in the span of weeks.
This is obvious from the fact that Umno Cabinet members are grudgingly staying on in a Cabinet that’s led by a prime minister that their political party won’t cooperate with in the next general elections.
To make things worse, Umno, by staying on in the Cabinet, will continue to play second fiddle to Bersatu in the PN Government, and this fact alone will certainly not sit well with Umno’s grassroot members.
The party seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place, and to say that Umno Cabinet members are not happy campers at the moment is certainly a gross understatement.
The question is, what will they do about it? – April 4, 2021
Photo credit: Malaysiakini
