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The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — When Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visits Johor this Friday for a closed door session with senior state Umno politicians, he will face his moment of truth.
The most powerful Umno state in the country is leaning towards asking the party president and prime minister to consider making way for a successor. They are unsure if he should set out a time table for departure immediately or if he should contest the party elections in December. But the general view among division heads who met on Saturday is that perceptions are powerful, and that the perception hovering around Abdullah is that he is a weak leader and that his family has inordinate influence over him. A division leader told the Insider: “We understand that these perceptions are untrue but Umno members believe these things and Pak Lah will not be able to govern effectively or unite the party. It is not going to be an easy decision for Johor Umno but we feel that we have a responsibility to let the president know of our sentiment." Johor is considered the bastion of Umno and party candidates in the state have consistently done well in even the most difficult of elections. Election 2008 was no different with all Umno candidates winning their seats. But nearly everyone came home with a reduced majority. If Johor Umno sends Abdullah a signal on Friday that he should go, this could embolden other states. Among the big names who attended the Johor Umno meeting were state information chief Dr Puad Zarkashi, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Datuk Shahrir Samad and Datuk Halimah Sadique. Absent was Education Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein. From information gathered, it appears that only Datuk Shahrir felt that Abdullah should be given the opportunity to carry out the reform agenda for the party and country. Many of the others believed that it would be difficult for the Abdullah to command the confidence of the party, given the depth of anger towards him and Khairy Jamaludin over Election 2008. Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman, who chaired the meeting, was a man of few words on Saturday, more intent on listening to what the strongmen on the ground had to say. Still, Johor Umno is in a quandary: how to communicate their sentiment to Abdullah and how to ensure that any transition of power is smooth? They know that the PM is a good man and is generally liked by Malaysians but Johor Umno believes that the need of the party takes precedence over everything else. No names were mentioned as Abdullah’s successor but the sentiment seems to be that Najib is the best man for the job. What they are clear about is that in the new political landscape of the party, there is no place for an official role for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Neither will Anwar Ibrahim be welcomed back in any capacity. Johor Umno appears to be less clear on how to make the party more relevant. A few believe that the party should be populists in outlook and outdo the People’s Pact to win the hearts and minds of Malaysians. This idea generally did not find favour with many in the room. The consensus appears to be that Umno has to strengthen itself and continue to be relevant to the Malays first. Only after it fights off Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) and PKR and secures the Malay ground, can it think about become more appealing to non-Malays. This strategy is at odds with what Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s road map of reform for Umno. The Kelantan prince believes that Umno has to shed its arrogance and chauvinism and represent the aspirations of all Malaysians. His plan seems more in tune with the voter sentiment of March 8. The discussion among Johor Umno politicians shows how rattled the party is now that its eminent position in Malaysian politics has been shaken. Everyone knows that the party has to change but nobody has a clear idea of what to do.
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