by NILE BOWIE
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim finds himself in a difficult position, facing economic challenges against the backdrop of rising prices at home and increasing risks to the global economy coupled with domestic political challenges that risk widening disenchantment from his own support base.
Anwar’s fledgling coalition government could only look on as its former nemesis-turned-key partner, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), recently expelled and suspended a number of prominent politicians for disciplinary breaches, including former ministers who had long been opposed to party chief and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s leadership.
The purge wiped out nearly all of Zahid’s detractors and eliminated the threat of them taking any top posts ahead of an upcoming party election set for March 18. It followed a motion passed at the party’s general assembly last month blocking an electoral contest for UMNO’s top two posts, enabling Zahid to tighten his stranglehold over the once-dominant party.
Anwar named Zahid as his deputy, despite his being on trial for corruption and abuse of power, after UMNO lent its support to his multiracial Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, giving it a parliamentary majority after November 19 elections resulted in a hung parliament. Many of Anwar’s supporters saw the move as the price to pay for political expediency and stability.
Voters will have their say when Anwar’s “unity government” stands in six upcoming state elections in July that will serve as a barometer of support for the odd-couple pairing of PH and UMNO. Analysts believe Zahid’s cull of prominent figures within UMNO and moves to consolidate his position could backfire electorally, impacting the unity government’s showing.
“UMNO remains the biggest risk factor for Anwar. And this is something that is outside his control as parties do not have leverage to interfere in another party’s affairs,” said James Chai, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. “Whether [Zahid’s recent quelling of a bottom-up rebellion] is accepted by the voters in the upcoming state election is something to be seen.”
A total of 44 party members were fired from UMNO on January 27, among them Hishamuddin Hussein, a former party vice-president who has held various ministerial positions, who was handed a six-year suspension. Hishamuddin, the son of Malaysia’s third prime minister and grandson of UMNO’s founder, was seen as a potential candidate for the party presidency.
Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, regarded as one of UMNO’s most capable up-and-coming leaders, previously indicated that he wanted to challenge Zahid for control of the party, but was expelled as a member before he could do so, reportedly for disparaging remarks he made against the party leadership during November’s election campaign.
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