Analysts speaking on the Malaysian political crisis believe there are efforts to break the Pakatan Harapan government and time is on the side of the ‘plotters’.
Anwar Ibrahim, the PM-to-be made veiled references in Parliament that there was a plot to stop him from becoming Prime Minister after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad quits.
Last week he alleged the cousin of ex-PM Najib Razak, Hishamuddin Hussein, is trying get Umno members to rally on the ‘other side’ of the hemicycle (from opposition to government in the Parliament). The latter denied the plot saying Anwar’s party the Justice Party is afraid of its own shadow.
An analyst told TISG, “Anwar is aware of the plot. But what can he do to stop the rot? Reveal the plot for others to unmask them. That is what he did.”
“Hishamuddin is now in the picture. It was known (sic) for sometime that he was leading the charge in Umno in a plot to prevent his cousin from going to jail.
“Anwar himself said it in Parliament Hishamuddin is trying to get Umno MP’s to join a ‘cartel’ without mentioning the word cartel. He said Hishamuddin wants to bring the MP’s to the other side. But we understand what he meant,” said the analyst, whose name we will not publish as requested.
“But if Hishamuddin is in a plot with a ‘cartel’ to stop Anwar from becoming PM and keep Mahathir in power for three more years, the plot is doomed.”
He said it is because Hishamuddin does not have the numbers in Umno to put Anwar in deficit in Parliament.
He explained that if all Umno members join the Bersatu, the party of Dr Mahathir, which is on the other side of the Parliament, then Anwar will not have the numbers to challenge the PM post.
“Mahathir knows it. He knows Hishamuddin does not have the numbers from Umno. The opposition party is sorely divided between pro-Najib and anti-Najib camps. Thus, the delays in plans to give Anwar the PM post.
“The pro-Najib camp is made of MP’s who will dump the ex-PM once he is jailed for the 1MDB crimes. They would not want to be associated with him once the case is done and dusted and he is orange suit,” said the analyst.
He also said the delays in handing over power to Anwar is because some are waiting for a change of heart in the Umno. “There are Umno MP’s who are supporting Anwar.”
In a report yesterday, Malaysiakini said it spoke to multiple sources from both sides of the political divide to unlock the secret about the ‘plot’ to overthrow the Pakatan from power.
“The portal said three names surfaced as the makers of the plot– Bersatu’s MP for Larut Hamzah Zainuddin, Bersatu’s Redzuan Yusof, who is also entrepreneur development minister as well as PKR number two and Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali,” said the analyst.
He said people can put two and two together and understand why the crisis in Malaysian politics is widening.-/TISG