KUALA LUMPUR – The barb-trading between leaders in Umno threatens to drag the party down and may potentially provide political rivals the upper hand ahead of the general election, said information chief Shahril Hamdan.
With factions seemingly at loggerheads over the party’s direction, Shahril warned members against going public on internal matters, which he said would be at Umno’s own peril.
This comes after leaders of the largest Malay-based party issued statements with conflicting stands and views over the past weeks, with one backing the move to withdraw support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the other against.
Things were also made worse by leaked recordings of Umno’s all-important Supreme Council meeting last Wednesday, which decided the withdrawal of support.
“Debates and discussions in meetings are meant to happen. But when it leaks, the public tit-for-tat over social media platforms does nothing to instil public confidence,” Shahril told The Vibes today.
“Meeting decisions have been conveyed. Moving forward, further decisions have to be made with wisdom, taking into account that the public has no interest in seeing internal divisions play themselves out in the open.”
In a statement issued by party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after the Supreme Council meeting last week, he said the party had decided to pull the plug on Muhyiddin and called on the prime minister to step down honourably soon.
The decision did not go down well with certain Umno leaders, particularly those with government positions, as they issued public statements and comments disapproving of the decision.
Leaked recordings of some of the leaders airing their personal views in discussions also reached the public, as social media users vented their disgust and frustration at the internal politicking within Umno’s ranks amid a health crisis.
Most recently, a voice recording showed Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman lashing out at the leadership for only leaving Muhyiddin, deviating from its plan to fully withdraw from the government.
Shahril said as the public is conscious of the decision not to support Muhyiddin, and given Umno’s representation in the cabinet, the party needs to be self-aware of this paradox in all things it says and does, and the tone it takes.
“The party has succeeded in contributing to policy changes in government. The automatic moratorium, the earlier convening of Parliament, the more aggressive closing of factories – to name a few.
“Though Umno wasn’t the only one pushing for these, we played some part in contributing to the pressure. I think that's what the public wants to see more of. Not overtly claiming credit but pushing for sensible things via the cabinet or from the outside. Then let the public judge.
“But shooting each other in public and one group trying to seize the narrative from the other? Other political parties will sit pretty and wait for the 15th general election as we implode,” he said. – The Vibes, July 13, 2021
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