DECEMBER 19 — Politics is full of changes. A few months ago, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib won applause when he used diplomacy to retrieve bodies of MH17 victims and black box while the pressure within the party had also been greatly reduced due to the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis. However, Najib is now facing another thorny problem.
Najib is currently facing a difficult situation with attacks from the party itself, as well as external problems.
Let’s talk about pressure within the party first. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had severely criticised Najib’s administration on his blog in August this year, and declared the withdrawal of his support for Najib. However, as Najib was strongly backed by Umno leaders, including deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the attack did not bring much impact at that time.
Since then, Mahathir has continued criticising Najib and “encouraged” central delegates to reprimand party leaders on the eve of party’s general meeting. However, the delegates did not attack party leaders at the general meeting held in end of November. Meanwhile, Najib also announced the retention of Sedition Act, helping him to defuse the pressure.
However, the plummeting international crude oil price has led to the plunge of stock market and economic downturn, offering an opportunity for the party’s right-wingers to launch attacks.
History showed that Umno’s stability is closely related to the country’s economic situation. In the 1980s, the global recession hit the Malaysian economy and it was one of the reasons causing the outbreak of Umno party struggle in 1987. The second year after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked by the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, causing political instability.
Of course, with Najib’s current status in the party and his ability to firmly control the Supreme Council, it is believed that the storms in 1987 and 1998 would not be repeated at this stage. However, if the economy is not stabilised as soon as possible, it would leave the right-wingers an opportunity.
Mahathir has pointed out Najib’s mistakes, including catering to the “enemy’s” requests, such as abolishing the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Restricted Residence Act; and when negotiating with neighbouring countries, Najib has also taken a self-dwarfing attitude. It seems like Najib is wrong for not being “obedient”, just like Tun Abdullah Badawi who scrapped the curving plan during his administration. In addition, Mahathir’s son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir’s defeat in party election, as well as the formation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah are believed to be the reasons triggering Mahathir’s dissatisfaction.
It is worth noting that Former ‘New Straits Times’ editor-in-chief Datuk Abdul Kadir Jasin revealed that Mahathir has intervened the financial problems of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He said that Mahathir recently summoned 1MDB’s senior officers and “interrogated” them. A week later on December 10, the Cabinet has also discussed the 1MDB’s problems at its weekly meeting, which was chaired by Muhyiddin Yassin. Najib was absent as he was on an official trip to South Korea.
Coincidentally, Batu Kawan Umno division deputy chief Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan also lodged a police report against the 1MDB. The 1MDB, burdened with debts to the tune of RM41.9 billion, might be a hot topic of the struggle within the party, particularly when national debt is high and the economy is going downturn.
In addition to pressure from party right-wingers, Najib also faces the “oversight” of right-wingers outside the party, particularly Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), causing Umno dares not to return to the moderation line.
Meanwhile, liberal Malay elites also pressure Najib, requesting him to take actions to suppress extremist groups and restore the spirit of moderation.
Najib has so far not yet responded to the request of the 25 prominent Malays. He is in a dilemma, but these senior officers are not only representing themselves, instead, they represent urban, young and progressive voters. The BN cannot afford losing these votes.
The “Pandora’s box” has been opened and it is very difficult for the government to stop conservative thinking. For instance, starting next year, all shopping malls in Terengganu will be ordered to close for two hours today, while a Catholic priest in Muar, Johor, was detained for having 30 copies of a hymn book with the word Allah. These incidents will affect the BN’s fight for swing votes.
In the midst of internal and external problems, if the economic climate outside does not improve and oil prices continue to fall, it would cause the government lack resources to implement the Bumiputera Economic Empowerment Plan, which would intensify Umno’s infighting and make racial issues more acute.
Najib must show greater courage to overcome the severe test this time.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
