NAJIB Razak remains a liability for Umno in the Semenyih by-election despite his recent surge in popularity, said Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) deputy chairman Professor Redzuan Othman.

He said many in the Barisan Nasional lynchpin are distancing themselves from Najib, believing he was the main factor for the party’s stunning defeat in the 14th general election.

“There is a difference between support for Najib and support for the party. The party has more support than Najib,” he told reporters after announcing IDE’s survey findings on the by-election.

He said Umno saw Najib as a liability, with some in the party believing it is best for Umno to distance itself from the former prime minister as part of its restructuring and rebranding.

“There is a faction in Umno that sees him as a liability. Some planners for the by-election may want him involved, but some may not.”

If Umno continues to be affiliated with Najib, and additional charges are brought against him over the next two weeks, it will seriously weaken the party’s position, said Redzuan.

“Umno is attempting to portray a new image. The party is more confident of ‘using’ PAS than MCA and MIC.”

He admitted that Najib still has followers, but said their number is not significant.

“Yesterday, at Tesco’s Semenyih outlet, only mat rempit showed up. They came for fun and entertainment.

“He is a famous face, whether you like him or not. People still want to meet him, but he is not a dominant figure.

“Najib is not the direction the new Umno wants to take.” 

He said Umno acting president Mohamad Hasan’s efforts to revamp the party are gaining momentum, and as such, it would serve him best not to be seen linked to the old leadership.

“They won’t use Najib as a champion to win Semenyih.”

Najib is proving increasingly popular on social media with his “Bossku” moniker and frequent criticism of Pakatan Harapan.

Umno-PAS partnership

Redzuan said the Umno-PAS partnership will not necessarily translate into votes for the BN party, as PAS voters are still sceptical of their traditional foe.

“Not all PAS supporters will vote for Umno.”

He added that the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) candidate for the Semenyih polls, 25-year-old Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul, does not stand a chance of winning.

“They (PSM) will not win because (PH component) Bersatu and Umno are too strong, and will be stronger once they announce their candidates.”

Semenyih constituents’ two main grouses are the rising cost of living and high prices of goods, he said.

“Their confidence in PH handling these issues has decreased, but they still prefer Umno or PH to work on tackling these problems than PSM.”

PH and BN will name their Semenyih candidates later today.

Nomination is on Saturday, and polling is scheduled for March 2.

In GE14, Bersatu’s Bakhtiar Mohd Nor won the state seat in a four-cornered fight against Umno, PAS and PSM. The by-election was called following Bakhtiar’s sudden death. – February 14, 2019.