IT goes without saying that Umno has somewhat institutionalised a tradition of not having contests for the top party posts to avoid the kind of contest that ripped the party apart in 1987 and led to its subsequent de-registration that gave birth to the current organisation.

It is also worthy to note that current Umno president Najib Razak has never had to battle anyone for a party post from his time as Umno Youth chief to getting a spot among the three vice-presidents to being deputy president and his current job.

And perhaps like his mentor-turned-nemesis, Najib is now going through his second deputy in Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after sacking his previous teammate, Muhyiddin Yassin, two years ago.

The Umno annual general assembly this year followed the tradition by passing a motion for the top two posts to be uncontested in the party polls next year –  ensuring that Najib and Zahid, who is now a vice-president, keep their posts.

That motion has brought about its winners and losers.

WINNERS

Umno –  The party of 3.6 million members can heave a sigh of relief that there will not be any contest for the top posts as rivalry and factionalism sharpen during the party elections. 

It can now focus on going all out for the next general election instead of worrying whether their desired leaders will get a spot in the top party leadership. It also cements Najib’s incumbency and overall control of the party as he remains the uncontested president since the 2009 party polls.

If he plays his cards well, Najib, who boasted that Umno could rule Malaysia for the next 1,000 years, could be party president for a long time to come.

Hishammuddin Hussein – By all accounts, the cousin who scraped through the last time the contest was held was running behind top Umno warlords Ismail Sabri and Mahdzhir Khalid.

While he was not confirmed as the de facto senior vice-president by the assembly, the suggestion itself is enough to secure him a spot among the three vice-presidencies on offer.

And spares him the ignominy of having Najib bail him out once again, as was the case in the last party polls, where he narrowly won against Mukhriz Mahathir for the last vice-presidential seat.

Zahid – His position as number two is as secure as Jho Low’s friendship with Najib. 

There is no chance of Hisham unseating him now for the second-most powerful spot in the party. 

He may not speak English well and does not come across as the sharpest tool in the box but his pull on the ground makes his an invaluable asset for Najib.

It also gives him the push to ensure Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) do well in GE14 as his new post puts him in line to be a possible prime minister in the future.

LOSERS

Ismail Sabri, Mahdzhir Khalid, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Khairy Jamaludin and others vying for vice-presidents positions. 

Now there are only two slots available, and this makes Khairy and Rahman rank outsiders if they decide to thrown their hats in the ring.

Tough to see Ismail or Mahdzhir backed by influential ministry portfolios being defeated in a contest for the remaining two VP slots.

It also means that none of the Umno menteris besar will get a chance to be in the senior post and help influence party policies, as was done in the past under Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s rule.

Umno members – they don’t get to choose their top leadership and get the best of the party talents competing and winning to help the party overcome its poor performances in the past two polls.

Competition with refreshing ideas and political policies could make the party a lot better than having a consensus about who will be their next leader.

Malaysia – Umno, the dominant party in the ruling BN, continues to be led by a select coterie of people who decide the leadership among themselves rather than allowing the best to go through the ordeal and lead the party if they win well.

In the end, it is clear that Umno understands that it has a battle on its hands and is working to prevent such battles from fracturing a party that never recovered from its previous splits.

And the only way is the tried-and-tested no contests for the top posts. Keeping the peace and somewhat unity is a lot more important than having contests as far as the party and its leadership is concerned. – December 8, 2017.