KUALA LUMPUR – With Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s appointment as the country’s ninth prime minister almost done and dusted, attention has swiftly shifted to focus on the race to the deputy prime ministership.
It appears Bersatu will most likely be given the No. 2 post – or at least one of them, with Sarawak supposedly also pushing for a similar position.
In the Bersatu camp, multiple sources have confirmed that three party leaders are gunning for the deputy prime ministership – secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Supreme Council members Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof.
With the respective factions said to be campaigning for their candidates, political observers said it will serve Bersatu’s leadership good not to limit itself to just picking between the three polarising figures, whom they said could bring more harm than good to the party.
Azmin is seen as the most unpopular among the trio, being deemed architect of the Sheraton Move last year, and for his apparent preference to allow factories to open amid rising Covid-19 infections.
Hamzah is also an unpopular figure among the masses for his involvement in engineering the infamous collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
Redzuan, on the other hand, does not appear to have been taken seriously by the rakyat, especially with his insistence over the “flying car” project during his time as minister during PH’s era.
Instead, two of the analysts suggested that Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, popularly known as Tok Pa, be given the role, citing his past cabinet experience and lack of controversies and court cases, barring his defection from Umno to Bersatu following the 2018 general election.
Bersatu trio a risk, Tok Pa best suited
Speaking to The Vibes, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Azmil Tayeb said it would be risky to name Hamzah, Azmin or Redzuan, describing them as “unpalatable”, particularly among the rakyat.
Chiefly, he said, appointing Azmin would be the death knell for Bersatu and the government, with the public unlikely to accept any form of promotion for an individual deemed to have not taken any keen interest in the people.
If you throw Tok Pa into the mix (of potential candidates), then he is probably the most capable of them all. He doesn’t attract attention, is not involved in scandals, is a technocrat and is by far Bersatu’s safest bet.”
“Additionally, Mustapa is not politically ambitious, and will not manoeuvre any move for power. He is the right man for the deputy prime minister post, at least until the next election is held.”
Mustapa has an impressive portfolio to his name, overseeing multiple key ministries over the years, including becoming finance minister II, higher education, international trade and industry and most recently, the minister in charge of economy under the Perikatan Nasional government.
The senior politician, who is a member of Bersatu Supreme Council, had also chaired Parliament’s budget select committee during his time in Pakatan Harapan from 2018 to 2020.
Azmil said appointing the likes of Azmin and Hamzah, both with high political ambitions, could also serve as a threat to Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, as they may use their position as deputy prime minister to better place themselves among key players of the party.
“Whoever is given the post will strengthen his position in the party ahead of the election, especially with their access to government resources and machinery.”
Beyond candidates from Bersatu, Azmil said it is best that the deputy prime minister position be given to PH in forming a bipartisan government with the sole purpose of defeating Covid-19, and that any squabbling for power should be left until the elections.
‘A rowdy bunch’
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun has similarly placed his cards on Mustapa as the best pick out of the current crop of Bersatu MPs, and called him “a very good candidate with experience”.
He said while his performance under the PN administration over the past 17 months has been less than impressive, Tok Pa appears to be the most acceptable figure among the others.
This is especially so compared with the current front-runners for the deputy prime minister post.
He is someone who is remotely acceptable to the people and the palace, and viewed as a technocrat. The others, to put it bluntly, are just cunning, unprincipled politicians, and a rowdy bunch.”
Oh added the fact that three Bersatu leaders are vying for the same position shows cracks beginning to appear in the party, which has just been rocked by the toppling of its prime minister and its dethroning from the government.
“They are already sowing the seeds of discontent within the party, meaning factions are starting to emerge and will likely fight each other.”
He said the competition between the camps – Redzuan with the original Bersatu members, Hamzah with his Umno faction and Azmin with the PKR faction – could be only the beginning of further infighting.
Faizal Azumu next in line?
Universiti Utara Malaysia’s Prof Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said in making his decision on who should represent Bersatu as the deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin ought to consider the impact any of the individuals might have on the party’s future.
This, he said, includes whether the figure will be accepted by Istana Negara.
As things stand, Azizuddin said Hamzah, Azmin and Redzuan each have their own strengths, with the leaders leading key ministerial positions under the PN government.
However, he said if the appointment of the country’s No. 2 is to be based by party seniority alone, then Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu should be named instead, being the deputy president.
“Just like how Ismail Sabri is appointed among the others from Umno – barring president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has a court case, and deputy Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who is not an MP – Bersatu should go by hierarchy, too.
“Faizal, as the second in line after Muhyiddin, is the most qualified. Putting aside his character, he is still the next in line.”
On Mustapa, Azizuddin said while the former Umno man appears to be the most appropriate pick based on experience, his lack of influence in Bersatu could see him losing out on the post. – The Vibes, August 21, 2021
