Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad systematically destroying the National Front government Having said this, we should now ask ourselves this all-important question. What are we to make of this episode? Is it serious enough to hurt the credibility, functioning of the UPA government? The answer: Yes, it is serious but probably only as much as any intermittent bickering within any large organisation or party. We tend to think of UMNO as a massive, monolithic block forgetting that they are composed of individuals and factions with different and often competing interests both at the bottom and the top. Individuals at the bottom are numerous and they are foot soldiers or smaller leaders but the higher you go the people become more important
Seldom has the saying been more true than now that the rumour mills of UMNO grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small. The political grapevine of the capital is abuzz with a whispered earful — or perhaps that should be yearful, in that it might continue doing the rounds of gossip for a year — that the PM is keeping a close tab on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his gang Perhaps foremost of the rumours about the watchful PM who seems to be taking all too seriously the saying that constant vigilance is the price we pay for democracy is that he took to task Mukhriz Mahathir Menteri Besar Kedah Darul Aman for alleged ‘misconduct’. This led to the further rumour that this signalled a supposed rift between the PM and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad While both and the PM’s close confidant,Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan , were quick to deny any such schism, other rumours cropped up which seemed to corroborate the PM’s image as one who exemplifies the saying that duty lies in the eyes of the beholder. According to such tittle-tattle,Najib seems to be both omnipresent and omniscient in spotting the most minor deviation from the straight and narrow on the part of his party colleagues.The PM’s reputation as an all-seeing visionary has been further buttressed by another apocryphal tale regarding another nameless minister who was having dinner with an unidentified tycoon in a five-star hotel, in contravention of Najib’s injunction that UMNO members shouldn’t be seen rubbing shoulders with Big Business lest such proximity invite the charge of ‘crony capitalism’.It’s not known if the PM is familiar with the legend of the tea plantation manager with a glass eye which he would pop out and place on a tea bush, thus convincing the workers that the boss was watching them even while he was having a leisurely lunch at home. But like that mythical manager, the far-sighted PM merits from all those under his supervision the assenting chorus of ‘Eye, eye, sir’!A phone call allegedly emanating from the PMO is said to have summoned the erring Minister from his unfinished meal, thereby showing that those who get their just deserts don’t always get their just desserts.
No way remote control pm can stay in office
But it didn’t work, so the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister had to take his complaints and criticisms out in the open for all to see, no matter if UMNO’s political foes take advantage of it. This isn’t the first time that Dr Mahathir has publicly dropped support for an UMNO President. He did it to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi two years ahead of the 2008 general elections.
The UMNO Information Chief said although he respected Dr Mahathir,he felt that the veteran politician should have been circumspect with his criticism of Najib’s leadership. “Please bear in mind that the situation and circumstances during Mahathir’s times are different from Najib, both economically and politically,” he said during a speech at the Seputeh UMNO meeting today.This is the thing with UMNO politicians who cannot argue with Dr Mahathir, who was in power for more than 22 years. Instead of arguing with him point for point, UMNO politicians insist they respect him but the circumstances are different.
Power struggles in political parties can be messy affairs. Ugly, especially if the protagonists are senior respected party officials with powerful following of their own. The sensational headlines they create can harm a party’s reputation and damage government functioning. How different is it? UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) still hold Putrajaya. They still control the mass media. They run the economy and under Najib, have put several transformation programmes for the country to be a high-income nation come 2020. But they have yet to argue that Najib’s policies have worked although Putrajaya’s efficiency agency, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) says that the policies are working.A timid Najib is not match for the tempestuous, arrogant Mahatjr who considered his the egos are bigger.
Wake Up, Prime Minister vs An Outspoken Gutsy Leader Pro Mahathir sensationalism and the sleeping PM Najib
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