Pakatan wants Muhyiddin as MB

Supporters thought Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was meant for the most powerful job in the country but he has ended up as Pakatan Harapan’s choice for Johor Mentri Besar.

THE night-time DAP ceramah in Yong Peng town was in full swing and the party’s most controversial speaker Hew Kuan Yau, wearing his trademark Superman T-shirt, was blasting away at the government onstage.

He is a fixture on the DAP ceramah circuit although he had to resign from the party following unpatriotic remarks he made about an issue involving Malaysia and China. But his right-wing political views still appeal to many Chinese and the crowd had come alive.

DAP is bringing out its top guns in its bid to capture Ayer Hitam. The Chinese mood is still quite hard in the Chinese heartland areas where new village culture dominates and DAP is riding on that.

But it will be a tough fight in Ayer Hitam because MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has a formidable track record after three terms as the MP.

Dr Wee is something like Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad in Johor Baru – they do not really need to talk about what they have done in their constituencies, it is there for all to see.

Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong, who is moving from Kluang to take on Dr Wee, knows that and he was working the crowd, flashing his dimpled smile, and shaking hands with everybody, as Hew was speaking.

Suddenly, the emcee cut in to announce that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had arrived. The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president walked in with Bakhtiar Shah Mustapa who is slated to contest in Semarang, one of the state seats in Ayer Hitam.

The emcee asked the crowd to applaud the “next Mentri Besar of Johor”.

It must have been weird for Muhyiddin although it was not the first time that the DAP side had portrayed him as their Mentri Besar candidate.

He was Johor Mentri Besar long ago. Then he rose to become Deputy Prime Minister and had aspirations to become Prime Minister. Now he is back to square one.

He is not even Pakatan’s Deputy Prime Minister candidate, a post that has gone to Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Things have not worked out as expected for him.

The other weird thing is that

Pakatan is starting to resemble an assembly of recycled faces.

“I don’t think they understand the Malay psyche or how to approach the topic on who should be the MB. It is really up to the Sultan, something outside the control of the electorate.

“It is the same in every state, that’s why Malay politicians have always played it carefully. The MB post can be a sensitive issue and you do not just go around and announce as you like,” said KRA strategy director Amir Fareed Rahim.

Moreover, the Johor palace dynamics is a different kettle of fish. The palace gates are not going to swing open if the candidate is not agreeable to the Sultan. Even Barisan Nasional has encountered that kind of dilemma in the past.

The other question is whether Muhyiddin is really interested to settle for so much less.

Local Barisan leaders in Pagoh recall that shortly after Pribumi was formed, Muhyiddin tried to persuade them to join him, saying that leaders in Pakatan Harapan had agreed he would be their Prime Minister candidate.

The sympathy wave following his sacking has faded and his appearance at DAP events has turned off the Malays rather than inspired them.

He looked smart and dignified in a red, long-sleeved shirt at the DAP

ceramah and two ladies requested for wefies with him. But he also seemed like a fish out of water.

The Yong Peng ceramah was as Chinese as it gets, with DAP flags fluttering in the wind and the aroma of roast pork and chicken in the night air.

Muhyiddin kept it short, talking about 1MDB, Jho Low, the

Equanimity, DOJ and his sacking from Umno. It failed to resonate with the crowd and he might have done better talking about cost of living issues.

Those who have known him since his Umno days say the Malay mood has been quite cool towards him in Pagoh, be it in Malay village gatherings or at the kopitiam

ceramah.

A religious programme that his party organised in the town centre in Pagoh Jaya apparently drew only about 100 people although the preparation was for 500.

“Can you imagine how he would feel? I’m sure he will feel very sad,” said an MCA leader from Pagoh.

Muhyiddin’s problem is that he is not seen as the boss in Pakatan or in his own party. They think Muhyiddin is playing second fiddle and has been played out by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Sympathy is a factor but who wins or loses will boil down to how we run the campaign. We have been very comprehensive and detailed, we don’t want to take things for granted like last time,” said Muar Umno deputy chief Muhammad Yazed Muhain.

Pribumi members have been moving around in Pagoh, their red and white flags have been raised in many areas.

But Pagoh Umno acting division chief Ismail Mohamed, whom everyone knows as “Mail”, has also gone to every corner of the constituency. Ismail, who is a state exco member, knows everybody and Umno leaders do not go to the ground empty-handed.

Muhyiddin is expected to defend Pagoh as well as contest the Gambir state seat. The outcome will mean a reboot or the end of his political career.

I don’t think they understand the Malay psyche or how to approach the topic on who should be the MB. Amir Fareed Rahim