Does a muted UMNO AGM signal the end of Muhyiddin’s political career?

KUALA LUMPUR — Look for him all you want but you won’t find a single picture of Mr Muhyiddin Yassin among the multitude of banners and posters of other United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) leaders at the Putra World Trade Centre this year.

Not allowed to officiate the assemblies of the three UMNO wings, and absent during the party’s presidential briefing on Tuesday (Dec 8), the man once touted to be next in line for the Umno presidency is clearly not in a position of power.

Despite his best efforts to destabilise Mr Najib Razak’s position as prime minister and party president, Mr Muhyiddin may very well be on the last lap of his political career.

The former deputy prime minister’s supporters — led by none other than Dr Mahathir Mohamad — had hoped that continuous attacks on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion (S$860 million) donation would shake Mr Najib’s hold on power and pave way for open dissent during this week’s UMNO assembly.

But concerted efforts by Mr Najib to explain and address criticisms against his leadership seem to have paid off for now, as UMNO heads into what perhaps may be quite a muted general assembly.

If the issues raised during the UMNO Youth wing’s assembly is any indication, it is quite clear that the party leadership had taken precautionary steps to ensure that delegates focused on issues like rising costs of living instead of potentially controversial ones like Mr Muhyiddin’s attacks against Mr Najib.

GAME OVER FOR MUHYIDDIN?

“That’s it for him. The Monday gathering in Kampung Baru was the climax. If nothing dramatic happens during this assembly, it is the beginning of the end of his political career,” an UMNO Youth delegate told Malay Mail Online when met at the sidelines of the UMNO Youth assembly yesterday.

The delegate pointed out that Mr Muhyiddin had reneged on his promise made a few months ago after his removal as deputy prime minister to continue supporting Mr Najib’s leadership.

“He promised a few months ago to help Najib as deputy president. But what has he been doing since then? Attacking the president.

“He could have just waited until the elections to challenge Najib. But he is impatient and now he will suffer,” the UMNO Youth leader said.

POLITICAL CAREER FOR MUHYIDDIN BEYOND UMNO?

Dr Faisal Hazis, associate professor at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS) in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia believes that the Pagoh member of parliament’s descent began the moment he was axed from the federal Cabinet a few months back, and that the latter waited too long to launch an offensive against Mr Najib.

“He had all the opportunity to unseat Najib when he was holding the powerful DPM seat. It doesn’t help that Muhyiddin is holding back his attack against Najib,” he told Malay Mail Online.

Citing Mr Muhyiddin’s speech at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman as an example, Dr Faizal said Mr Muhyiddin played safe by only demanding for Mr Najib to take “temporary leave” while the 1MDB investigations are being carried out.

“Muhyiddin is no Anwar. He doesn’t have the grassroot support, international aura, political resources and fighting spirit to carry on his political struggle outside of UMNO.

“He can play a peripheral role like Ibrahim Ali but I doubt he can play a major role in Malaysian politics outside of the Umno structure,” the political analyst added.

UMNO secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor accused Mr Muhyiddin of being “power hungry”, adding that a special committee is investigating the Johorean’s speech.

It is now understood that Mr Muhyiddin may be stripped of his deputy presidency or even sacked as a party member for his excessive attack against Mr Najib.

But an UMNO leader from Mr Muhyiddin’s Pagoh constituency believes that the party deputy president is being unfairly punished for raising important “national issues”.

Mohd Zaid A Rahman, who is Pagoh UMNO Youth chief, also said that Mr Muhyiddin would not join any other party even if he is sacked from UMNO.

“Muhyiddin has stated many times that he will stay true and stick with UMNO. I do not think he will join or form another party,” Mr Zaid told Malay Mail Online.

UMNO deputy president Muhyiddin has been in recent months openly critical of Mr Najib, especially after he was dropped as deputy prime minister in July.

In a speech to his supporters at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kampung Baru on Monday night, a day before the UMNO general assembly, Mr Muhyiddin claimed that after cost of living, calls for Mr Najib’s early resignation is the second most talked about topic on his Facebook page.

He also invited listeners to check on Mr Najib’s Facebook and Twitter feed for such comments, but later said that it was not his duty to urge the UMNO president to step down.

Mr Muhyiddin also called for a two-term limit for the UMNO presidency, and said that Mr Najib should take leave as prime minister until the investigations on 1MDB are completed. MALAY MAIL ONLINE