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KUALA LUMPUR – Support for Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Umno in general is likely to remain solid despite the high court’s decision for him to enter his defence related to almost 50 criminal charges, said political observers.
The experts believe that even with factions forming around Zahid and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah’s ruling over the 47 corruption, power abuse, and money laundering charges will have a minimal negative impact for Umno and its president, especially as they gear up for the Johor polls.
Zahid still influential
Senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Oh Ei Sun told The Vibes how the ruling could bizarrely see Zahid garner even more support, as many within his circle see the criminal charges as politically motivated, similar to those framed against former party chief Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He said this could end up further splitting the Zahid and Ismail Sabri factions, especially if Umno manages to dominate in Johor, which is a likely outcome.
“So perversely, his defence being called could even galvanise his supporters into rallying closer around him and against Ismail Sabri.
“His (Zahid) legal concerns are not expected to play a prominent role in affecting the Johor outcomes, which are likely to usher in yet another Umno sweep.”
Universiti Malaya academic Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi agreed that many see Zahid as a victim of selective prosecution by former Umno leaders who defected and joined Bersatu, despite an Umno man being the head of the government.
Awang Azman said it was evident when the Zahid and Najib combination, who in some instances are referred to as the “court cluster” of Umno, did not find it too difficult to garner the support that resulted in their convincing victory in the Melaka election.
“Instead, campaigns that included ‘bossku’ (Najib’s social media moniker) and Zahid in Melaka resulted in a large win for Umno and Barisan Nasional in Melaka,” he told The Vibes.
As for power struggles, Awang Azman and Oh are again on the same page that the seemingly negative outcome in Zahid’s court case would do little in helping Ismail Sabri’s cause, considering how other Umno warlords like deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stand in his way in trying to move up the hierarchy.
Oh said Ismail Sabri, who currently sits as one of three Umno vice-presidents, would find it difficult to displace Zahid, as he lacks the needed charisma and competence.
Awang Azman said the current prime minister might be the head of the administration, but when it concerns party hierarchy, Ismail Sabri is currently superseded by Zahid and Mohamad, who is better known as Tok Mat.
“Even if we were to say that Zahid was in any case convicted, the one qualified to take over the reins is Tok Mat because there is the party hierarchy, and they will most of the time adhere to this hierarchy.
“We have to remember that the leadership of the party is different from leadership within the government – these two things must be clear, and a distinction must be made between them.”
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR) senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan also shared this view, saying that Tok Mat not only supersedes Ismail Sabri in rank, but also in his popularity among the party’s grassroots.
“Even without any position in the government, Tok Mat is quite popular among the grassroots and among the top echelons of Umno. Not only that, Ismail Sabri is one of the vice-presidents and has to contend with two others,” he said, referring to Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
“The current situation does not change anything much regarding Ismail Sabri’s standing within Umno itself.”
The rift between the Zahid and Ismail Sabri camps was believed to have started as far back as early 2020, during the formation of the Perikatan Nasional government, after the notorious Sheraton Move, that saw the removal of Pakatan Harapan from Putrajaya.
It is said the two factions were formed out of Ismail Sabri’s perceived friendliness towards Bersatu leaders, a splinter party formed by former Umno leaders, during his tenure as the defence minister, and then later as the prime minister.
A recent dismissal of Najib’s conviction appeal at the Court of Appeal coupled with Monday’s ruling against Zahid has seemingly wedged an even deeper crack between the two factions.
Many speculated how the court decisions have fuelled the president’s intention to pressure Ismail Sabri into dissolving Parliament to allow him to lead Umno into a potentially successful general election, with victory in Johor used as reason to validate his leadership and as a gauge of his chances.
Push for party polls
There are also those, like NASR’s Azmi, who are of the view that Ismail Sabri will look to resist any pressure to dissolve Parliament, and to hold out for an internal party election aimed at dethroning Zahid, regardless of their performances in the recent and upcoming state election.
He said he believes Zahid’s court ruling could provide ammunition for those looking to dethrone him by using it as a reason to apply pressure for an internal party election to be held.
Ultimately, he said, the objective of those opposing Zahid is for Umno to head into a general election under a different leader.
“The court’s decision will basically make the internal struggles in terms of party hierarchies to be more intense, looking to force Zahid to conduct party elections before a general election is held, or for him to at least go on leave while he handles his court cases,” he told The Vibes.
On Monday, Zahid was asked to enter his defence over the 47 criminal charges by judge Sequerah, who in his judgement said a prima facie case against the accused was successfully established by the prosecution.
The decision comes almost three years after Zahid was first slapped with the graft-related charges over his alleged role in the misappropriation of funds amounting to millions of ringgit from the Yayasan Akalbudi charity.
Yayasan Akalbudi was established in 1997 to help eradicate poverty and promote Islamic education, two years after Zahid was elected as Bagan Datuk lawmaker.
Zahid’s lawyers during Monday’s proceedings said the former deputy prime minister will be taking the stand and giving his sworn statement from the dock in his defence stage of the trial. – The Vibes, January 27, 2022
