BN loss could hasten Pak Lah's exit

BN loss could hasten Pak Lah's exit

Commentary

AUG 25 A big victory for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Permatang Pauh tomorrow could spoil Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi"s two-year succession plan, and force an earlier handover of power.

Even his loyalists in Umno concede that the mutterings about the sense of drift in the country and the lack of strong leadership in Barisan Nasional have grown louder in the last few weeks, and they expect party officials to call for a quicker transfer of power to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak if Anwar wins the by-election by a larger majority than the 13,000 margin his wife managed on March 8.

A party official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, told The Malaysian Insider: "The BN machinery has not been at its best.

There is no cohesion among the parties and little fighting spirit. If Anwar wins big, questions will be raised about the preparations and leadership. Ultimately, it will fall on Pak Lah."

He noted that though Najib was in charge of the BN machinery the whispers on the ground was about the need for a strong leader to galvanise a coalition which has been rocked to its foundations by the results of Election 2008.

The view among some BN leaders is that Abdullah has not drawn up any plan of recovery for the ruling coalition and seems content to indulge in a festival of rhetoric. In the meantime, the main coalition partners are being tested severely.

Several Gerakan politicians have floated the idea of leaving the coalition while MCA"s Datuk Ong Tee Keat also told Nanyang Siang Pau that the party may need to reassess its position in BN if Umno continues to champion the Ketuanan Melayu concept.

MIC can no longer say that it represents the voice of Indians and the PPP has all but disappeared from the political landscape.

So what you have is a much weakened coalition. Every setback adds more pressure on political parties whose immune system has been affected greatly by the rejection on March 8.

A heavy defeat at the hands of Anwar tomorrow will only serve to deepen the gloom and force coalition partners to consider their future in BN and cast major doubts on whether Abdullah can help them regain their lustre.

The situation is less grim in Umno but Cabinet ministers and senior politicians are wondering whether Abdullah will be able to stay on till mid 2010, saying that they are concerned that the PM may not be up to the task of steering the country through this more challenging economic times.

There have not been any calls for him to step down recently but this silence masks a sense of despair among ministers and senior politicians.

Some of them are nostalgic for the strong leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. They argue that too many decisions being made by the government seem to be reactive and ad hoc, as opposed to being part of a comprehensive economic plan.

The consensus in the party is that Abdullah is a decent man but he does not have the tools including a strong spine to galvanise Umno or Barisan Nasional.

A big victory for Anwar tomorrow will only lead more Umno officials and BN leaders to come to the conclusion that they need someone else to lead them during this crisis period.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah put it succinctly when he noted recently that the Permatang Pauh by-election was Abdullah"s first test after the general elections.

"As chairman of BN, Abdullah holds primary responsibility for the result.

This is therefore a test of his legitimacy that he can and must pass," said the Kelantan prince.

Malaysian Insider