Ex-minister opens old wounds between UMNO and Pakatan in fresh split

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government is facing more challenges lately, particularly after the chaos created in Negeri Sembilan, a small state near Kuala Lumpur, where members of his Malay ally, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), left the state government led by his coalition.

Following the chaos, former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who was a powerful youth chief in UMNO, the party allied to Anwar in the unity government, has rebuked supporters of the PKR (Anwar’s party) who condemned the political chaos in Negeri Sembilan.

The PKR elements attacked UMNO, saying they are following the path of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) that toppled the Pakatan Harapan government, then headed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in 2020. The PN was then labelled ‘roof digging’ or backdoor government by PKR and Pakatan.

In a series of Instagram stories, Khairy, who is now a former MP, challenged those accusing UMNO of backdoor politics to compare it with Anwar Ibrahim’s move, when he was the opposition leader in 2008.

At that time, PKR and Anwar found it legal and logical to attempt to bring down the Barisan Nasional (BN) government under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Tun Abdullah is the father-in-law of Khairy.

“Many shallow-minded people in PH (Team X and Team B) attack UMNO for being opportunistic and spreading backdoor politics/tebuk atap by exploiting crises to launch a power grab.

“I suggest everyone (especially the younger generation) look up what was planned to happen on September 16, 2008, to know who started tebuk atap politics in Malaysia,” he said.

After he was set free by Abdullah Badawi in 2004, Anwar returned to Parliament via a by-election victory in August 2008.

Later on, Anwar announced that Sept 16 was the deadline for him to form a new federal government. He promised voters he would seize BN’s majority by persuading its MPs to defect to the then Pakatan Rakyat coalition, Malaysiakini reported.

Like in 2021, Anwar had then claimed he had secured sufficient support with over 31 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs backing him to topple Khairy’s father-in-law. But this attempt failed.

Khairy also noted that when Anwar tried to topple the federal government in 2008, the world was already facing one of the worst economic crises, marked by severe financial instability and global liquidity problems.

To conclude his attacks on PKR and Pakatan, Khairy added that Anwar’s party should be brave enough to face a vote in the state assembly in Negeri Sembilan to let the majority decide who will rule the state or to find out if the current PKR Chief Minister still has a majority.

Fourteen UMNO assemblymen decided to pull the plug on the Pakatan-led government in the state, but the ruler of the state has said the Chief Minister, Aminuddin Harun, will remain in post. Anwar has also declared there is no need for fresh polls in the state.