Signs of civil war? Now, Umno in fight with own Utusan

KUALA LUMPUR — The United Malays National Organisation (Umno)’s internal disarray worsened on Tuesday (Nov 6) as a war of words broke out between a party leader and Malay daily Utusan Malaysia that is seen as its mouthpiece.

In an act of unusual audacity over the weekend, the newspaper’s editors pressed former Umno president Najib Razak to apologise for allegedly misappropriating billions from state investment fund 1MDB.

It is unclear who penned the piece written under the Awang Selamat pseudonym the newspaper’s editors share, but Umno’s Puad Zarkashi laid the blame squarely at the door of Utusan Melayu Bhd executive chairman Aziz Sheikh Fadzir.

“Aziz has gone too far as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has not even filed any charges regarding the slander that Najib stole RM2.6 billion of 1MDB’s money,” Umno’s former propaganda chief wrote in a letter to Utusan Malaysia.

“So, what is the basis for Aziz to accuse Najib of guilt and to demand his apology?”

Mr Puad accused Mr Aziz of prematurely condemning Najib and demanded the Utusan chairman explain the rationale of the editorial.

He also demanded that Mr Aziz confirm if he was the one behind the offending piece as well as for the latter to apologise for “jumping to conclusions”.

“If he does not, then Umno members should boycott Utusan," said Mr Puad, who was also deputy education minister and an Umno supreme council member. 

The Umno mouthpiece, in a rare censure of the former prime minister, had said Najib’s long-running deception of Malaysians, especially members of the party he once headed, was the reason for the people’s loss of faith in the Barisan Nasional leadership, ultimately leading to the pact’s lynchpin losing power in the 14th general election.

“Najib’s recent remarks that he does not know the source of the funds that made their way into his personal account have left Malaysians, in particular, Umno members, feeling deceived," said the editorial.

“They had, all along, believed his statement, that the money was a donation from the Saudi government,” it added.

“This brings to mind an old saying that not all thieves lie, but those who lie are often thieves.”

The unusual editorial by the financially-distressed newspaper, in which Umno is the largest stakeholder, was just the latest sign of the growing rift within the party that has still not come to terms with its part in the 1MDB scandal.

On Saturday, just before a dialogue Najib organised to comment on current affairs, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan issued a statement that effectively told Najib that his legal troubles were his own and that the party should not be blamed for or burdened by these.

Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin also openly disputed Najib the same day, telling the latter the party and Barisan Nasional were voted out purely over the 1MDB issue; after the former prime minister sought to blame this on Pakatan Harapan’s “lies and slander”.

Mr Khairy also derided Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam after the latter criticised him for “pointing fingers” at the party.

Mr Khairy said that if he ever becomes Umno president, he will sack Mr Lokman for “having the IQ of a carrot”.

The disarray is indicative of the leadership vacuum in the once-dominant Malay nationalist party.

Najib has been slapped with 38 charges of corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust related to 1MDB. 

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has yet to steady the listing ship after replacing Najib. Like Najib, he is also facing a slew of criminal charges, some of which are linked to a welfare foundation run by his family.

The party also appears on the edge of being gutted from within, with rival Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia fuelling rumours that up to 40 of the Malay nationalist’s federal lawmakers are about to defect. MALAY MAIL