UMNO has exacted revenge for what happened during the Sabah elections when the party got Perikatan Nasional (PN) to agree to its candidate, Saarani Mohamad to be the Perak menteri besar, said analysts.

This is also to regain control of Perak, a solid vote bank for Barisan Nasional ahead of the next general election, they said.

Among the biggest losers in the Perak saga is DAP when the party which holds 16 seats flirted with the idea of working with Umno to form a state government.

Universiti Malaya socio-cultural associate professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi said even though Umno stuck with Perikatan Nasional, it shocked Bersatu and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin by taking over a state under the party’s nose.

Saarani will be sworn in as menteri besar today by Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is satisfied that the Kota Tampan assemblyman has majority support in the assembly.

This came about after PN said it had nominated Saarani, who is Perak Umno chief, as the new menteri besar after party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi apologised on behalf of Perak Barisan Nasional (BN) over the ouster of Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

The Umno president apologised during a meeting between Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, and the secretaries-general of BN (Annuar Musa), PAS (Takiyuddin Hassan), and Bersatu (Hamzah Zainudin) yesterday.

“This is a political strategy by Umno, they manoeuvred the situation to give them leverage. What Muhyiddin did in Sabah, Umno did back,” Awang Azman told The Malaysian Insight.

This was also intensified when the ousted menteri besar was Bersatu’s deputy president Faizal and Umno initiated the confidence motion last Friday.

Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun said Umno wants to express dominance in PN after Bersatu controlled the narrative all along as exemplified in Sabah after the elections in September.

“Umno has increasingly become ambivalent of their controlling the lion’s share of seats in the ruling coalition but having to play second fiddle to an assertive Bersatu which dares to have its own domineering political agenda.

“Sabah was like the straw which broke the camel’s back in terms of Bersatu winning fewer seats yet having the audacity to clinch the top post,” Oh said.

Awang Azman also said Umno not only wanted to take over Perak but Faizal as MB angered many parties, including the DAP-led opposition.

“To those who do not understand, they would blame Umno wholly. This MB issue is not only Umno’s problem but there were many things done by the former MB which displeased all.

“His political appointments, the cutting down of allocations and many other things,” he said.

Tasmania University’s Asian Studies professor James Chin said Umno was not genuine in its offer to DAP and always wanted to use the party to squeeze a better deal from PN.

“DAP got played by Umno. I have always maintained that it is impossible for Umno and DAP to come together,” Chin said.

“Umno does not want to lose power. They just want the MB post so now they have it, the crisis is over.”

Umno wants Perak as BN would have another state under its belt ahead of the next elections, Chin said.

“Umno will have to give positions (in the state cabinet) to Bersatu, but the power dynamics have changed as a menteri besar or chief minister is the most powerful in the state. This gives them control over the state and its coffers,” Chin said.

Awang Azman disagrees, saying DAP is practising mature and pragmatic politics by exploring all options in this modern political climate, including working with Umno.

“In the context of mature politics, it is not wrong to offer political cooperation. When there is a void left by one party, there is a room for another party to fill it.

“Umno wanted to also see who offered the best deal. Whether it was Bersatu and PAS in the form of PN or DAP with the opposition, they were smart to weigh it out.”

Oh said it would not be surprising if Umno replicates the Perak move in Sabah as many are still unhappy.

“All eyes are now on whether the Perak move would be replicated in Sabah, such that Umno would ‘right the wrong’ and be restored at the helm of the state government as it sees fit,” he said.

Among the politicians most delighted to execute this move will be Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin, who was slated to be the chief minister before losing out to Bersatu’s Hajiji Md Noor.

“Bung will be popping champagne soon as this would look like something that could be replicated in Sabah,” Oh said. – December 10, 2020.