Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad leaving Umno will help bring back the focus of the people on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wrongdoing and the fact that he no longer represents them.
KUALA LUMPUR: A former Information Minister believes that former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to leave Umno on Monday will be followed by several other practical steps.
“These steps will help parties outside the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to show solidarity with the people.”
“Their relationships with each other have reached such a point that they would help shake Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s position effectively.”
It’s certain that as in the case of Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn, all previous Umno Presidents, said former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin in his latest blog posting , Mahathir will not return to the party. “Mahathir’s action, in leaving Umno, came at the right time.”
“It will have the effect of paralysing Malay support for Umno come the 14th General Election in 2018. The party has suffered life-threatening injuries. It would be difficult to treat Umno, much less nurse it back to health.”
Zainuddin, a onetime Utusan Malaysia Editor-in-Chief, has no doubts that Mahathir will be accused of wanting to destroy Umno. However, he added, the reality was that unlike in 1969 when he was expelled from Umno, the party no longer has a future. “In 1969, under the leadership Abdul Razak and others, Mahathir knew that there was still hope for Umno.”
The former Prime Minister’s proactive move, before he was expelled from Umno, he said, had the support of the party veterans as well. “They want to see concrete and effective steps on his part to help bring back national solidarity in the leadership of the nation.”
“Interestingly, while the whole nation was abuzz with Mahathir’s shocking action in leaving Umno, the mainstream media and their online news portals have been instructed not to play up the news so as to help calm the situation.”
The effect of Mahathir’s action this time on Umno, said Zainuddin, was different from that time in 1969 when he was expelled from the party in the wake of the 13 May 1969 riots. “Tunku Abdul Rahman’s position as Prime Minister was not shaken although he stepped down.”
Mahathir has been Prime Minister for over two decades, reminded Zainuddin, and his decision to leave Umno was a severe slap for Najib and also the community and the nation that he helped to build.
“Although his action was considered ‘wrong”, his willingness to do so, will have the effect of making the people realise once more and bring back their focus on the fact that Najib was responsible for the wrongdoing which has bogged him down so far.”
It’s certain, continued Zainuddin, that Najib’s image can only get worse after having already reached a critical stage. “The outside world was also likely to take even more notice of the fact that Najib no longer represents the majority of the people. The mainstream media, especially TV3, cannot fool the people on support for Najib.”
“Again, the parties outside BN are likely to show national solidarity, at the same time, help to bring about change.”
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