UMNO preaching about unity within the party during its recently concluded general assembly is merely rhetoric, analysts said.

They told The Malaysian Insight the reality is that there is a power struggle within Umno with each faction having its own agenda.

The way Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was treated during the assembly is also clear indication that the party is extremely unhappy with him, they said.

Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said that the power struggle within Umno has been around since the days of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

This, he said, is not about to change.

“There is no Umno if there are no clashes. Unity is merely rhetoric,” Mazlan said.

“It’s like during Hari Raya, you ask for forgiveness, but then the very next day you squabble again.”

The two main factions that are currently at loggerheads are the court cluster – those who support party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak – and those who support Ismail and his cabinet members from Umno.

“People like Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin have absolutely no respect for Zahid.

“We also heard Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki talk about cleaning up corruption within the party. He may not have named names, but we know who he was referring to.”

During the Umno assembly that ended yesterday, party leaders focused on calling for the dissolution of Parliament to make way for a general election while Umno and Barisan Nasional can still ride on their success in the previous three state elections. 

Khairy, however, said that the Covid-19 health crisis should be more stable before an election can be held, a stark difference to what his president is calling for.

Toe the line 

This too, is a clear indication of differing views within the party, James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said.

“The Zahid-Najib faction is pushing for an early general election, probably June or after, because they want to get rid of the memorandum of understanding (MOU).

“The second faction is Ismail, Hishammudin Hussein and the rest. They want to stick to the MOU and delay the general election as much as possible because they want to stay in power.” 

Ismail signed the MOU on Transformation and Political Stability with Pakatan Harapan on September 13 last year, soon after assuming office, to ensure political stability.

Under the agreement, the government would undertake several political and institutional reforms in return for the opposition pact’s support to the prime minister.

The MOU also stated that the 15th general election can only be called after July this year. Umno leaders have been calling on Ismail not to renew the agreement, and to call for the general election soon. 

Looking back at Zahid’s speech at the assembly, Chin said that it is obvious that Zahid is levelling subtle warnings telling everyone to tow the party line. 

“If you look at Zahid’s speech, it is clear that he is very unhappy, especially with Ismail. Using coded words, he has already sent warnings to Ismail. When he talks about internal saboteurs, that’s who he is referring to. 

“When you look at body language, when Ismail went on the stage, they placed him at the side of the front row even though he is the prime minister. 

“It’s very clear that Zahid is sending Ismail a warning that he has to toe the line. People keep forgetting that even though he is the prime minister, he’s just the vice-president, he’s not even top leadership.”

When Umno pulled its support for former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Ismail was among Umno leaders who stood by the Bersatu chairman.

While Umno had decided to pull its support for Muhyiddin, it remained in government with Bersatu and PAS. 

Umno forgets itself 

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said Umno, riding high on its recent wins, seems to have forgotten itself.

“It seems to have forgotten that in calling for Parliament to be dissolved, it needs to discuss with Perikatan Nasional (PN), and most importantly the Yang di-Pertuan Agong must agree to such a dissolution.

“Also, at the last assembly, Umno said that it will continue supporting PN until Parliament is dissolved. It is now singing a different tune in wanting to cut ties without any consultation with its partners in government PAS and Bersatu.”

If Umno is unable to resolve this internally, it will lead to more strife within the party, Hisommudin said.

“The unity of Umno lies in Zahid’s hands as president to discuss with the leadership to ensure that a win-win situation arises. 

“This is important to ensure stability. If this is not achievable, could it lead to more fractions? We can only wait and see.” – March 21, 2022.