Najib Razak to be sidelined?

By Dzul G, Independent.my

Rebellion is brewing within the United Malays National Organization (Umno). Kuala Lumpur is buzzing with information on a possible vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by the United Malays National Organization (Umno). The vote, pushed by a group of former Member of Parliament (MP) and Chief Ministers (CM) which includes former Ministers who mostly served under Tun Mahathir Mohamad, is said to be imminent.

Umno will call for a no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister in view of the recent events that shook Malaysia. The motion it is said will be presented by a high level Umno official and will be formulated on the basis of the freeing of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim from jail in 2004. The motion of no-confidence will also ask the PM to resign and to make way for a new leader in the party and in the government due to the party’s bad performance during the last general elections in March 2008.

Their arguments, freshly formulated this week, are that Abdullah Badawi knew all along of the weaknesses of Anwar Ibrahim and his former conviction – overturned in 2004 – for sodomy in 1999. The leaders behind the no-confidence vote are pressing the PM to engage Anwar Ibrahim on the American interference issue. It is said they played a part in the PM’s sudden condemnation of the US statement in the fresh outbreak of a sodomy case against Anwar Ibrahim.

Apparently the Prime Minister was under pressure from the group to openly criticize the US for its meddling in the affairs of Malaysia. It could have been a test of the nerves of the Malaysian PM by the ‘rebel’ Umno members.

Abdullah Badawi is also said to have made statements on the stability of the government based on queries by former MP’s and Ministers who asked the party presidency – held by the Prime Minister of Malaysia – how true were reports and assertions by Anwar Ibrahim’s Party Keadilaan Rakyat (PRK) that the government is falling and Anwar Ibrahim will take power on September 16^th.

Reports indicate that the people behind the agenda are not surprised with the fresh allegations of sodomy against Anwar, saying that it must be true since the accuser – a freshman named Saiful Bukhari – could not be lying because he is willing to expose himself publicly amid such allegations.

Malaysia is set to turn the fire on Anwar regarding his relationship with Washington and some high profile elements in the US Administration. These issues were discussed in the United Arab Emirates by members of the former MP’s and Minister’s of the Umno according to informed sources.

It is not by accident that top Umno officials attacked the US for supporting Anwar in the fresh sodomy allegation that promises to literally explode the Malaysian political scene. It is obvious that the strategy to link Anwar Ibrahim to the US administration in a bid to stop his rise and force his downfall.

The group of anti-Anwar and anti-PM stalwarts of the Umno will press the issue of Anwar being an American stooge. They intend to bring back issues that were once popular with the Umno that is Anwar Ibrahim will sell Malaysia to the US, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB).

The new element in the anti-Anwar campaign will be the possibility that Anwar Ibrahim will use his post as Prime Minister to turn Malaysia into a liberal state. According to the sources, this will mean that Malays will lose their political power which will be shared with non-Malays in the country. The council of Former People's Representative (Mubarak) President Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang could not be reached to confirm the information.

On the other hand, the party stalwarts are said to be in favor of a fresh new leader to take over the Umno. They said their aim was to fix the problems that have crept within the party and the country since Anwar Ibrahim’s release from jail. According to their thinking, Abdullah Badawi is the main problem and to resolve this will be to ask him to leave. Since he is not budging from his post there will be the need for a no-confidence vote against him.

Grass root leaders have been prepared for the possibility that the party will have to call for an urgent meeting in which the PM will be voted out. They may weight their support for the current Minister of Trade and Industry, Tan Sri Mohiyuddin Yasin while Najib Tun Razak may remain at the Deputy Prime Minister post. Their aim is to topple the Prime Minister but they cannot afford to have Najib as Prime Minister yet with too many statutory declarations against him floating around.

By all means, it is apparent that the party is not willing to wait until the December elections to force the PM out. There are talks that Abdullah Badawi may end up the winner in the December party polls because the will be no heavy weight opposing him. With Najib Tun Rajak set to be his number 2 in a party vote, the PM is assured of winning against Tunku Razaleigh Hamzah, the former Finance Minister who has been campaigning for the removal of the PM from office.

The group may also sideline Najib Tun Razak on the basis that there are too many accusations against him and that could affect his role as Prime Minister. The Umno deputy president post could go to Tungku Razaleigh Hamza. In the meantime, the deputy post could be handed over to the Chief Minister of Malacca Dato Ali Rostam in what is seen as a total clean up of the Umno before the December polls.

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