Muhyiddin’s disadvantages

Writer: Bing Gou
China Press, Dec 8, 2015

The English word “underdog” means a dog defeated or in a disadvantageous position in a competition. It can be a dog totally defeated or a dog simply taking a retreat to fight back. The situation can be likened to UMNO Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin now. He is powerful but finds himself in a disadvantageous situation. In order not to take on UMNO President Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak directly and thus, damage his image, he chose to portray himself as the weaker party to gain sympathy and thereby strengthen his position.

Muhyiddin, who was once all powerful, was removed as the Deputy Prime Minister because of his criticism on 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion donation. Subsequently, he was deprived of his little privilege to open the annual conference of the three UMNO wings.

He continues to keep his weak profile and insists on “holding fast to his principles”, vowing that he “will never retreat” and “will defend people’s rights”. Nobody knows what he is thinking about.

He must understand that portraying the image of being the weaker party cannot be a long-term strategy. He has to strike when the time is right, regardless of whether he has collected enough “tears and sympathy”.

In terms of seniority, he is the only one who can challenge the party president. He also has the support of heavyweight leaders like Dr Mahathir Mohammad. As it is, over one thousand branches have asked Najib to step down because of the RM2.6 billion donation. Nobody has attacked Muhyiddin; on the other hand, he even has the support of party members and the Johor Palace.

Unfortunately, Muhyiddin seems a bit wishy-washy. Like a shy little girl, he asks in his Facebook: “If I had a chance to speak (at the UMNO general assembly) what would you think are the important issues I should tell the UMNO delegates and the leaders?”

If he has a chance to speak, he should snatch the microphone just half an hour before the closing to demand boldly that “I want to challenge the president’s position for the sake of righteousness and the people!” Or speaks like Dr Mahathir: “I just want him to step down!”

The fight between the No1 and No2 is nothing new for UMNO. However, Muhyiddin seems to be too careful about his reputation; he does not want to bear the guilt of betraying UMNO in history; he does not want to take the blame of causing UMNO’s split or its defeat in the general election.

Years ago when Dr Mahathir was in power, UMNO was declared an illegal party. Many people thought that was the end of UMNO. However, Dr Mahathir managed to revive it. It just shows that a courageous and wise leader can revitalize the party. He can make possible things seemingly impossible.

Muhyiddin has only two choices. He can either continue to portray himself as the weaker party and then be kicked out in the next election. Or, he can make an all-out counter offensive and aim for the presidency. There is not much time left, please choose now: “5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”

Original Source:
慕尤丁的“弱勢”