What now, Zahid?

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 7 years ago · Published on 14 Dec 2018 5:30PM · 6 Comments

With a stack of charges against him and party members defecting en masse, what is Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi going to do now? – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 14, 2018.

WHAT is Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi going to do now?

Will he be able to survive as Umno president, or will he be forced to relinquish the position?

With all the court cases he is facing now, and Umno disintegrating by the day, is he still in control or getting enough support to lead the party?

These are the questions Umno and Zahid himself have to answer today, after the president was slapped with another charge in court while half a dozen more lawmakers left the party.

Earlier this morning, Zahid was charged with another case of criminal breach of trust, bringing to 46 the number of charges against him.

Just as the charge was being read out to him at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions court, news came in that Tanah Merah MP Ikmal Hisham Abd Aziz had left the party.

As it that wasn’t bad enough,  just hours later, five other Umno MPs also quit, informing party secretary-general Annuar Musa of their departure in a letter.

The six who left today are Hamzah Zainudin (Larut), Rosol Wahid (Hulu Terengganu), Shabudin Yahaya (Tasek Gelugor), Mohd Faisah Mohd Fakeh (Sabah Bernam), Latiff Ahmad (Mersing) and Ikmal Hisham (Tanah Merah).

Six in a day. Earlier this week, 13 Umno Sabah representatives and 21 state divisions also left the party.

As it stands now, Umno only has 37 seats in parliament, after winning 54 in the 14th general election.

Zahid can no longer accuse the defectors of having no fighting spirit, of being cowards and selfish. 

He has blamed Umno leaders who left the party and even Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Pakatan Harapan for all the court charges stacked against him.

As a party leader, Zahid is responsible for what happens to Umno. The members were looking to him for leadership after former president Najib Razak stepped down.

None came.

Zahid got the mandate when he won the party election by beating former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Almost a month after becoming president, Zahid appointed Tengku Razaleigh to chair the Umno Advisory Council. But until today, the advisory board has not decided on the direction the party had to take as the opposition.

So, the inevitable is taking place now. Calls are getting louder for him to step down.

Umno Youth had previously proposed that he takes a break until his court cases are settled. Today, party members are not so polite anymore.

One by one, Umno leaders from various levels are beginning to speak up. They do not want Zahid as president any longer.

Khairy could not be any clearer when he tweeted today:

“Pemuda, Puteri, Wanita and the Umno supreme council must demand Zahid Hamidi’s resignation. On top of that, Umno must call for an immediate EGM and have a party election to elect a new leadership. Only Umno members can save Umno. PPBM (Bersatu), Anwar (Ibrahim) or PAS can’t save us.” – December 14, 2018.
 

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Comments

  • The ICERD rally was the last straw, UMNO members were shocked to see Hadi Awang the pseudo Mullah call the shots and UMNO leaders sucking up to him.
    UMNO members do not want an Islamic state and neither do they want to be the boys of PAS whom they always regarded a good for nothing party.
    With Najib and later Zahid the shift towards PAS and its ideologies became even stronger, many were shocked they were wearing white instead of the Red UMNO colours, and more so on the instructions of Hadi Awang.
    They are fed up that Najib still controls the direction UMNO and si subservient to Hadi for his support..
    UMNO has lost its purpose said Daud a grassroot leader in Johor.

    Posted 7 years ago by Francis T Rozario · Reply

  • If only umno could have Ku Li as the president and KJ as the deputy, umno would not be where they are now.

    Posted 7 years ago by Derrick Tan · Reply

  • Umno is truly in dire straits. Perhaps and thats a big perhaps Khairy could be able to resuscitate the dying party.

    Posted 7 years ago by Simple Sulaiman · Reply

  • Zahid doesnt have it in him to lead. Plain & simple.
    If KJ had won the presidency, I believe things in UMNO would have been a lot different..
    In fact, with KJ at the helm it would put to test and create a check & balance for all initiatives and practices put in place by the PH government..
    And since it was not meant to be, PH seems to be having it easy now... a basketful of Umno prospects to cherry-pick!

    Posted 7 years ago by TTs Take · Reply

  • UMNO supporters deserve what they get for choosing a corrupt person, who also has connections with gangsters, to lead the party despite the high level corruption by Najib and other top UMNO leaders. These blind and/or stupid supporters do not use their heads.

    Posted 7 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • With Mahatir at the helm , Umno enjoy their last glory and glamour and after that it was down hill with incompetent and crooked leaders. Mahatir makes Umno at its best during his period and it is also Mahatir himself who infected and infested the sickness into Umno thru his tenure. Obviously his henchman and yes man plays a big role and also guilty in their doing of weakening Umno with all the vices of corruptions thru privatisation and cronyism. Institution were made to toe to the Boss directions. All these were wonderful when it is still in stages of under control but as years gone by it has morphed into a monster where it has multiplier effect and fester into a sickness of ills and miseries onto the rakyat. Succession planning was never in the thoughts of Umno leader as everyone are having crab puling mentality With mediocre leaders after Mahatir the concerns grew bigger and the disease of corruptions were unstoppable and irredeemable. Ony a traumatic disastrous elections loss will see an urgent need for a radical change to have better leaders to take over. As for now the Umno leader in Zahid has shown to be an incompetent leader and truthfully it is not just him alone for in the supply chain of Umno current crops of wanabe leaders , just do not have the flair to be one. Umno University has produced misfits and miscreants that detestingly do not fit into the shoes of being a capable leader. It will be some long wait before Umno can be a opposition and a force to reckon with when they have finally found some one who knows how to be a leader and obviously a much needed Malaysian leader and not one who is singing the old tune like a Melayu leader

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply