Commentary by Leslie Lau
AUG 27— When Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Razak decided at the height of the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign to swear in a mosque that he had nothing to do with murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, it was meant to show up Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a hypocrite for not daring to do the same over the sodomy charges he faces.
Yesterday's results – a thumping win for Anwar – showed instead that Najib's move had failed.
Najib's stewardship of BN's campaign failed to even chip away at Anwar's support, and instead raises questions about whether he can lead Umno towards regaining the large chunks of Malay votes it has already lost to the Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
The massive defeat the PKR leader inflicted on the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate may have also put a dent in Najib's own drive to succeed Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi as prime minister and Umno president.
"Yes, Najib will take over but there are worries over whether he can take on Anwar," a senior Umno leader told The Malaysian Insider.
"Despite the swearing, the Mongolian thing has still not gone away."
While not one shred of credible evidence has surfaced so far to show Najib's involvement with the Mongolian model, the DPM has found it hard to shake off the allegations against him.
His swearing in a mosque has done little to help repair the damage to his reputation.
This is because the by-election was about Anwar's credibility, and a majority of voters chose to believe him over whatever was said by Najib and other BN leaders.
Yesterday's results have also reignited calls for Abdullah to step down sooner rather than in 2010 when he has promised to hand over the reins to Najib.
There is now concern that Abdullah is a liability and that his perceived weaknesses will allow Anwar to topple the BN coalition soon.
But while there is strong support within Umno for Najib to take over as prime minister, the big loss in Permatang Pauh also demonstrated that the DPM had little sway outside his own party.
Under his stewardship, the BN campaign machinery failed to convince enough voters to at least reduce PKR's majority from March polls and therefore score a moral victory.
But with few credible alternatives, Najib remains the best bet to take over Umno.
He will have to prove his mettle in the weeks and months to come as he goes head-to-head against Anwar in Parliament.
Najib will have to prove his ability to unite the disparate parties of his BN coalition against the onslaught expected from Anwar.
The slowing economy will certainly help Anwar, and Najib, more than the PM, will have to show the BN offers a better future than a Pakatan Rakyat government.
As the Permatang Pauh election results came in last night, satellite television station Astro's news channel Awani featured prominent political analyst Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin describing Anwar as the new "head boy in the classroom" in response to a question of whether the former DPM could unite the disparate parties within the PR alliance in his new role as parliamentary opposition leader.
"Such is his ability that with one look or just a turn of his head he will be able to ensure the others toe the line," Dr Shamsul quipped.
What he meant was that Anwar has excellent leadership qualities.
Is Najib enough of a leader to take on Anwar? The answer will begin revealing itself when Anwar returns to Parliament tomorrow.
Malaysian Insider
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