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Let Abdullah get on with job, editorials say, adding that all should share blame for election losses By Carolyn Hong & Hazlin Hassan, THE STRAITS TIMES
THE drawn-out power tussle in Umno, the dominant member of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, has come under harsh criticism by two mainstream newspapers with close links to the party. The New Straits Times (NST) and Berita Harian - sister papers in the same stable - carried identical front-page editorials yesterday telling the Umno-led BN coalition to 'get on with the job'. They said it had been five weeks since the March8 polls, but Umno was still bickering, pointing fingers, baying for vengeance and doing everything but governing. 'Enough is enough,' the two papers said. Both papers are owned indirectly by Umno, and have often been regarded as its voice. Umno has been caught in internal fighting and rebellion since the polls, with the grassroots agitating for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi after he led the party to a disastrous polls showing. Several states, including the influential Johor Umno and the Prime Minister's home state of Penang, have urged him to set a timetable for succession. The NST noted that Malaysians are tired of this 'moaning and groaning'. 'The truth is that the people have long been disgusted with the kind of boorish, loutish behaviour that Umno leaders had exemplified because of their grip on power since independence in 1957,' it said. The NST editorial took to task several leaders, including Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for wielding the keris at Umno conventions, an act seen as a symbol of aggression against non-Malays. The newspaper defended Datuk Seri Abdullah, saying that he should be allowed to get on with governing. 'Abdullah is not solely to be blamed, and everything will not suddenly be all well again if he goes,' it said, adding that Umno as a whole had to share the blame. But this is unlikely to silence the restive Umno ground or ease the pressure on Datuk Seri Abdullah. Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, the outspoken Member of Parliament for Pulai, Johor, wrote in his blog yesterday that 'only a smooth transition will stop the party from splitting up'. 'And that has to be done sooner than later,' he wrote. He is the second MP to openly call for Datuk Seri Abdullah's resignation. He told The Straits Times that Umno is unable to tackle the challenges of governing if its leadership is in disarray. 'We are caught in the defensive mode now,' he said. Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Datuk Seri Abdullah had not given any indication of the succession timing. 'As I have said, he has the wisdom to decide what is best for the party. I believe in that,' he told reporters after meeting leaders of Selangor Umno. Datuk Seri Najib also dismissed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's claim that enough BN MPs were ready to defect to topple the central government. 'So far, there is no indication of anyone wanting to cross over. We understand it could be gamesmanship, but we cannot take things for granted either,' he said. He insisted that the BN was not in such a state of crisis that it could be toppled. Selangor was Datuk Seri Najib's latest stop on a roadshow to hear views from the Umno ground. Intensifying the pressure, a growing number of Umno divisions are planning to hold extraordinary general meetings at which they are expected to call for the removal of a rule that makes it difficult to stand for the top party post. Kelantan prince Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has indicated that he will challenge Datuk Seri Abdullah for the party presidency in December. But under the rule, he needs 30per cent of the 191 Umno divisions to nominate him. Pressure from the ground could force the party leadership to remove this rule. Datuk Seri Abdullah has insisted he will not go until the party is on a stronger footing. On Monday, he said he would seek re-election as party leader. When asked if he would be contesting in the party polls in December, he shot back: 'Why shouldn't I contest?'
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