The Straits Times
22/1/2021
PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Leaders of Umno have been rather secretive about what went on at their supreme council meeting in Janda Baik, a resort area at the bottom of Genting Highlands, last Friday (Feb 19).
Some of them claimed the meeting in Pahang was a normal one and the highlight of the evening was the musang king durians from an orchard nearby.
But it was one of the most significant meetings in months because of an "ultimatum" from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin had asked Umno to decide whether the party wants to contest the general election as part of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and he wants an answer by March 1.
This was conveyed to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during the "meeting of three presidents" from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) last Monday.
The three parties are the leading factions in the ruling PN alliance of 12 parties that has governed Malaysia for 11 months.
That was the same meeting that resulted in PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's blood pressure shooting up, and he had to be rushed to the Putrajaya Hospital later in the day.
Datuk Seri Hadi's health has become a matter of some national interest, and when the National Heart Institute (IJN) heard about it, it immediately asked for him to be transferred there because he is its patient.
Mr Hadi had gone all out during the meeting to press for the three Malay parties to reach an electoral understanding in the general election.
When Umno's Zahid explained that the majority of Umno divisions were against working with Bersatu which is led by PM Muhyiddin, Mr Hadi said Umno had said and done worse things to PAS and yet the two parties are able to cooperate.
Mr Hadi even brought up the Memali massacre, when PAS members gathered in the Kedah hamlet were killed by security forces controlled by the Umno government in 1985. The episode, he said, as an example of how Umno had mistreated PAS and recalled how he asked PAS supporters to support Umno in all the recent by-elections.
"My president is committed to the idea of straight fights in the election. He is adamant that the three Malay parties should not contest against each other," said Selangor PAS election direction Roslan Shahir.
"He has told us many times that if we work together, we can win a two-thirds majority in Parliament."
Hence, the Umno supreme council meeting in Janda Baik was basically to discuss the PM's ultimatum.
There was also an urgency of sorts, because Mr Muhyiddin is believed to have told the three presidents that he may call for a general election before Aug 1 - he may not wait for the state of emergency to end to dissolve Parliament.
He means to seek his own mandate at the earliest possible time, hence the pressure on Umno to come to the negotiating table.
Malaysia last held its general election in May 2018, with the next one not due until 2023, but PM Muhyiddin had indicated the polls would be held once the coronavirus pandemic is deemed as being over.
Umno understands the need for straight fights with opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan, and Umno vice-president Mahdzir Khalid has conveyed this to the PAS leadership.
The three parties will probably face the general election as PN Plus - PN members plus external allies - although it remains unclear how they will carve up the seats to contest.
While Umno leaders are keen to cooperate with PAS, the distrust of Bersatu runs deep.
In the meantime, supreme council member Sharkar Shamsudin said Umno will continue to support the PN government as well as the leadership of Mr Muhyiddin.
He said this arrangement will continue until Parliament is dissolved. "We will cross the bridge when we come to it, " said Datuk Seri Sharkar, as assemblyman from Pahang.
He said the party's earlier decision to use the logo of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition in the coming general election has not changed.
At the Janda Baik meeting, Zahid also addressed the endless speculation over the appointment of a deputy prime minister from Umno.
The Muhyiddin Cabinet has him as the prime minister and four senior ministers, but no deputy prime minister.
Zahid said the matter did not arise because there has not been any official request from the Prime Minister for Umno to propose a name or names.
He told them the party could not simply go to the Prime Minister with a name if he has not asked for it.
"How can we decide on something that is still up in the sky?" said Mr Sharkar.
It was understood that some supreme council members aligned to Umno chieftain and Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein argued that appointing a deputy prime minister would strengthen the party.
But others did not see the point of Umno taking up that post if the general election is just around the corner.
The supreme council members agreed with their corporate tycoon colleague Johari Ghani that Umno is a big party and has to play a dominant role.
"Whether Umno is the government or the opposition, it has to be in charge. It cannot be somewhere in between," said Datuk Seri Johari.
A senior supreme council member also hinted that approaches are being made to Zahid - who is facing a string of graft charges - to persuade him not to contest the election.
However, if he insists on defending his Bagan Datuk (Perak) seat, then they see the need to persuade him to declare that he is not Umno's candidate for the premiership.
It is a terribly delicate situation but a group within the Umno leadership is aware that the party will not do well if their president is the candidate for the prime ministership.
The ball in Umno's court and tough decisions have to be made if the party intends to make a big comeback.
Source: The Straits Times
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