Where is Umno in Najib’s hour of need?

One would expect more than Salleh Keruak and James Masing to spring to his defence.

COMMENT

Our Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing his biggest crisis yet in a showdown with the man who made it possible for him to assume his position in the first place. Mahathir has already brought down one prime minister, and it seems a foregone conclusion to some that it will end with Najib resigning, much like his predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Considering that Najib not too long ago rallied scores of Umno division heads to affirm their support for him, one would expect more than Salleh Keruak and James Masing to spring to his defence. Unfortunately for the Umno President, members of the party’s elite have chosen to maintain an uncomfortable silence in the face of their leader’s tribulation.

In fact, those with the most power next to Najib have failed to defend their leader from the vitriol of Malaysia’s grand old man. Muhyiddin Yassin, Hishammuddin Hussein, Zahid Hamidi and Shafie Apdal have chosen to stay silent even as Najib scrambles to control the damage.

As those closest to Najib in terms of power, their voices will be authoritative enough to quell any anti-Najib sentiment in the ranks in the wake of Mahathir’s devastating attack. Zahid, especially, had a great showing among the Umno grassroots at the party’s general assembly last year. Some see him as a Mahathiresque strongman, and his word would go a long way as far as endorsements go.

But besides that, the silence of the Deputy Prime Minister must be particularly worrying to Najib. As the first in line to assume the premiership should Najib resign, Muyhiddin perhaps stands to gain the most from his boss’ downfall. But he must be aware that he cannot hold on to the promise of power without Mahathir’s backing.

Hishammuddin is in a bit of a dilemma as well. On one hand, he scored points when a Merdeka Centre survey showed him as a preferred future candidate for the post of Prime Minister. At the same time, he is also cousin to Najib, and betraying blood may lead to losing support among the Umno grassroots.

Shafie seems to have no aspirations to rise to the position of Prime Minister, but hidden teeth remain teeth nonetheless.

Najib is at his weakest. Mahathir represents perhaps an even greater threat than Anwar Ibrahim ever was, and now the role of the fractured opposition has been usurped by Mahathir. The two reportedly had a sit-down that was described as hot and cold, which does not bode well for Najib, who must convince Mahathir that he is still the right man for the job despite his perceived shortcomings.

Nonetheless, the four cannot remain silent forever. Will they comment on the situation soon, or are they content to play their cards close to their chests? Either way, it is untenable for them to remain silent as Najib is in desperate need of support. On the other hand, should they wish to side with Mahathir, they must show the good doctor proof of their worthiness.

These are indeed interesting times politically. The public seems overjoyed at Mahathir’s move to unseat Najib, and it may be hard to stop the momentum he has started even with Najib’s best effort against it. Will the death blow come from those closest to him, or will it come from Mahathir? That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind.