PETALING JAYA, July 25: A political analyst foresees Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin plunging into political distress if he returns to Umno, the party that sacked him four years ago.

Azmi Hassan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia told FMT there would be turmoil in Umno over the question of who should helm the party.

Muhyiddin’s position as prime minister would be threatened, he added.

He was commenting on Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan’s statement about his party’s readiness to accept the prime minister back into its fold.

Mohamad said in a recent press interview that Umno could review the disciplinary decision to sack him from the party in 2016.

Muhyiddin is now PPBM’s president.

Azmi said he would have to be Umno president in order keep the prime minister’s position and it would be tough for him if current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or Mohamad were to challenge him for the Umno post.

“If there’s a contest, it will be an uphill task for Muhyiddin.”

Azmi said the only way for Muhyiddin to become Umno president would be for Zahid and Mohamad to give way to him, something he believes their supporters will not allow.

Another analyst, Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya, predicted that Zahid would make way for Muhyiddin in the name of Malay unity.

He added, however, that he would be at Umno’s helm only temporarily.

Should Perikatan Nasional or Barisan Nasional win the next general election, it would be open season for the Umno president’s post, he told FMT.

Azman also spoke of the possibility of PPBM forming a pact with Umno or deciding to dissolve itself and encouraging its members to join Umno.

In either case, the union could be a formidable force, he said.

“However, the reality is that Umno would want to dominate this reunion and PPBM will have to concede that Umno has more structure and a stronger grassroots support,” he added.

If PPBM were to be dissolved, he said, the question of how Umno would absorb its supreme council members and give them positions in the party would present quite a headache.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here