JOHOR BARU – Umno and DAP leaders have a lot of work to do convincing their grassroots as the two political parties, with a long tradition of going against one another, are now part of the unity government, said retired politician Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.
The former foreign minister said while the decision to join hands had been mainly received well by the party leaders, it remains to be seen whether ordinary Umno and DAP members can accept both parties working in tandem in the government due to an arduous, stormy history between them.
Syed Hamid said that failure to convince the party grassroots of the benefits of forging a relationship with its former enemies would spell trouble, especially for Umno leaders, as the party will be holding its internal party election sometime next year.
The former Umno Supreme Council member said those that supported the move for Umno to be part of the unity government might face the wrath of the party grassroots during the party election.
“But are there any other choices for Umno, which is no longer a mainstay party in the country, compared to others?
“Perhaps the party leadership felt that the best move for the party’s survival is to form a unity government with Pakatan Harapan (PH) as it needs power and positions to restore the ailing party, compared to forming ties with Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“There are a lot of similarities between Umno and PN’s component parties PAS and Bersatu, and judging by the result of the 15th general election (GE15), Umno might cease to exist if it doesn’t make the right choice going forward,” said Syed Hamid when contacted by The Vibes yesterday.
Commenting on the proposed establishment of a caucus between 24 Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) and PH MPs, the former Kota Tinggi MP said that the move is expected with the two coalitions having established working relationships in Perak, Pahang, and at the federal level.
“Its common knowledge that Umno and DAP hated each other before, as Umno had always said that DAP is anti-Islam and racist.
“But we see that after the GE15 result, DAP (and PH) extended an olive branch and supported BN to form the state governments in Perak and then in Pahang. And the trend, as we see now, continues in Johor.”
He said that Umno and DAP appeared to have buried the hatchet and were working together to find common ground.
“On the positive aspect, if this collaboration can continue, it would create a better and more harmonious political landscape in Malaysia.”
Caucus: what’s beyond BN, Pakatan?
Meanwhile, political analyst Prof Azmi Hassan said that the caucus proposed in Johor should not be limited to MPs from BN and PH.
“On paper, this is a good move, but what about the acceptance of the Johor state government itself?
“Perhaps there are plans to include state representatives from both coalitions, as the mooted plans are about how to elevate the state itself,” the senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research said.
On Sunday, Johor opposition chief Liew Chin Tong mooted an establishment of a caucus comprising 24 MPs from BN and PH.
This, said the Iskandar Puteri MP, is to help the Johor government go through briefings and the sharing of information so that all the MPs are given detailed reports on the needs and demands of the state government to the federal government.
Liew, who is also the Perling assemblyman, made the suggestion in his 2023 Johor budget debate speech at the Johor assembly in Iskandar Puteri.
The idea was well received by Johor BN chief, Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, who is also Simpang Renggam MP, who said that the discussion on the matter would be held after the swearing-in of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat on December 19. – The Vibes, December 6, 2022
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