No ordinary pink slip

Are there any lessons behind the extraordinary termination of a GLC chairman?

EXTRAORDINARY. A big slap. Unfair. The right move.

These are some of the responses to the termination of Umno’s Pasir Salak MP Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as Prasarana non-executive chairman.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali noted that it is an extraordinary political development as Tajuddin is connected to the faction of Umno party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“He was terminated with the excuse that his press conference on the LRT collision was chaotic. But there is more than that because after his termination, he was detained by the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission). It will have a big effect on Malaysian politics,” he said.

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar pointed out that Tajuddin’s sudden dismissal is “a big slap at Umno” and indirectly at the leadership of Ahmad Zahid.

“Tajuddin is an Umno supreme council member and Umno election director. His unilateral dismissal sends a negative signal about Umno’s relationship with the Perikatan Nasional coalition government,” he said.

An Umno insider believes that Tajuddin would have voluntarily resigned after his disastrous press conference following the LRT accident on Tuesday. Prime Minister and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz did not have to fire him, he said.

“The fact that they fired Tajuddin precipitously suggests that they wanted to embarrass an Umno leader and pivot the blame to Tajuddin,” he said.

“Umno members don’t take this lightly, particularly following double standard actions taken between Bersatu leaders and everybody else, especially Umno leaders.

“Bersatu leaders got away with breaching Covid-19 SOP and from prosecution. This is blatant disregard for the rule of law and fairness in general,” said the insider.

Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) political science lecturer Dr Kamarul Zamfan Yusoff said the Perikatan government did the right thing. It was in line with sentiment on the ground, which was very critical of Tajuddin’s handling of the LRT collision.

“The fact that the dismissal was done during a holiday shows the seriousness with which the Perikatan government viewed the matter, which is good in the sense that it managed to portray [its action] in a good way in the eyes of the public as far as responsiveness goes,” he said.

Kamarul Zaman doesn’t think Tajuddin would have quit on his own. He said this was corroborated by the comment made by Najib about Tajuddin being advised to only quit after Umno’s supreme council decides that all Umno MPs need to withdraw from the Perikatan government.

What’s the political impact of the termination of the Pasir Salak MP? Will he withdraw support for Muhyiddin as prime minister?

Currently, Muhyiddin has 111 MPs supporting him and the fractured Opposition has 106 MPs; this is out of 220 MPs. Three Umno MPs – Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah – have withdrawn their support for the PM.

UTM’s Mazlan believes that the PM and Bersatu president is confident that he can face the 15th General Election if it is held after the end of the Covid-19-triggered state of emergency in August. Tajuddin’s termination and detention, Mazlan believes, is like a declaration of war against Team Zahid and Najib.

“It might be a strategy for Muhyiddin to be perceived as a man of integrity. The PM’s brave decision will get the rakyat’s support as they have seen Tajuddin’s history of bad behaviour. It is a message that Muhyiddin does not compromise on corruption,” he said.

Mazlan also believes that Tajuddin’s termination is a test for Umno. The Zahid, Najib and Tajuddin faction could expedite the decision made at the party’s annual general assembly that its MPs will quit their ministerial and government-linked company (GLC) positions before the election.

“Will the Umno MPs follow the order? Do Zahid and Najib still have influence in Umno? If the MPs don’t follow, Umno will split,” he said.

“If they follow, with the current state of emergency, Muhyiddin can buy time until August or extend the emergency. And we can see other plans such as Muhyiddin working with other MPs from the Opposition.”

Ilham Centre’s Hisommudin wouldn’t be surprised if a maverick politician like Tajuddin withdrew support for the Perikatan government, as Nazri and Ahmad Jazlan have done.

He said the withdrawal of support might cause the Perikatan government to lose its majority control. However, he said, some have argued it would not affect the government because of the state of emergency.

Hisommudin contends that the Umno grassroots seem to be divided over Tajuddin’s termination.

“Do they want Umno to quit the government or remain until the dissolution of Parliament? It now depends on the leadership of Ahmad Zahid.

“The Umno supreme council was given a full mandate during the party’s general assembly to decide what to do,” he said.

“Does Ahmad Zahid have a strong enough political will to make the Umno ministers, deputy ministers and those holding GLC positions quit?”

According to Hisommudin, it will be an intriguing situation to watch.

“If they make the wrong calculation, the Cabinet Cluster (Umno members currently in the Cabinet) might not bow to the order of Umno’s president and Supreme Council, and that would invite a new crisis in the party,” he said.

The Umno insider argues there are fewer Umno MPs supporting Muhyiddin now: “At most only a few ministers and deputy ministers with government positions and salaries,” he said.

Based on the general assembly’s decision, the party will pull out from the Perikatan government at the latest on Aug 1, 2020, said the Umno insider, who is with Team Tak Mesra Bunga (not friendly with the flower, the symbol of Bersatu).

“Things are bad now, and the country is sick due to incompetence. So why wait? Many Umno people think we should pull out before things go from bad to worse for the country,” he said.

The Umno insider also wondered about the timing of the MACC’s investigation of Tajuddin for alleged abuse of power.

“Why now? Why not before? Because they now need political leverage on Tajuddin as an MP not to withdraw support from Muhyiddin,” he believes.

According to UUM’s Kamarul Zaman, it seems like the Perikatan government is no longer bothered by the possibility of Umno MPs deserting it.

“This confidence on the part of the Perikatan government begs an important question, which is whether it has MPs from the Opposition ready to jump in, as has been rumoured for quite some time, hence its daring move in dealing with Tajuddin,” he said.

“However, judging from public opinion, even if Tajuddin decides to desert the Perikatan government, there is little likelihood that the move will get much support or traction, as no one in his or her right mind will want to be associated with him, what more with the speculation of impending corruption charges against him making the rounds,” he said.

Even within Umno itself, Kamarul Zaman said there is quite a clear voice asking for Tajuddin to be removed from the important post of Umno election director.

What’s the political lesson behind the extraordinary termination of the Pasir Salak MP as a GLC chairman? Perhaps, to quote Tajuddin, “Don’t try to provoke things. It’s not good.”