Is Anwar really a threat – that they’re all out to pin him down.

I have been toying with the idea for months since the March’s general election. Who does the flip-flop PM Pak Lah really regard as his Numero One political foe – who stands a realistic chance of unseating him? Is it Anwar Ibrahim? Is it Najib Tun Razak? Is it Dr Mahathir? Muhyiddin Yasin? Ku Li?

Let’s put our heads together and take a look at the following personalities.

1. Najib. As the Deputy President of UMNO, Najib is in the position to wrest the Presidency and hence the Premiership. But Najib is involved in too many controversies; and Pak Lah has a file on Najib’s alleged wrongdoings in his hand – waiting to be opened even if there are words of Najib’s intention to wrest the presidency of UMNO from him. He knows that Najib’s closet is full of foul smell and Najib would not even dare to try. Furthermore Najib is a yes-man, a coward who has no stand at all. He is so engrossed with pacifying his lady and clearing his name that the odds are heavil-stacked against him. Now that he had made a pact to hand over power to Najib in June 2010, Najib should be a discontented aspirant who has had his mouth effectively shut up. So, Najib is totally out of the question.

2. Dr Mahathir. Though making mosquito noises here and there, attacking Pak Lah here and there, influencing some disgruntled UMNO members here and there, Dr Mahathir poses no threat at all. Furthermore, at 83, he is nearly senile. UMNO members still can’t forgive his ruthlessness while in power. And he doesn’t enjoy the privileges of an incumbency. He poses no threat at all.

3. Mukhriz. A green horn riding on his father’s popularity, he could be wiped out by just a hand signal by Pak Lah. He may not survive the Youth polls, let alone pose any threat at all.

4. Muhyiddin. An easy meat to “kau tim”. What can Muhyiddin do? As the incumbent, Pak Lah could send feelers out that he doesn’t want to see Muhyiddin being nominated by any UMNO divisions. One or two errant divisions in Johore may nominate him but that’s all he gets. He may get some votes in the runs up in UMNO polls, that’s it. Muhyiddin would not make any impact.

5. Ku Li. He is out of UMNO mainstream far too long to pose any serious threat, though may be a more lethal threat compared to Muhyiddin or Mukhriz. He may gain support from disgruntled UMNO members. As Muhyiddin, one or two divisions may nominate him. However, Pak Lah must be wary of him should Anwar Ibrahim gives his backing to Ku Li (in case Anwar is put behind bars for any reason whatsoever). Then Ku Li would pose a formidable opponent in the run ups for UMNO presidency.

6. Anwar Ibrahim. Weeks before the general election in March, Pak Lah denied that he would be calling for an election soon. But upon learning that Anwar’s ban on active politics would end in May, he changed his mind and called for an election in March. When Sabah and Sarawak expressed their dissatisfaction over their lack of representation at federal level, Pak Lah made many trips to both states to pacify them. Then when Anwar announced that Pakatan would form the new federal government on 16 Sep, again Pak Lah announced goodies after goodies for the two East Malaysian states. When Anwar announced that 30 BN MPs were prepared to jumped ship, the threat to Pak Lah became real.

When Yong Teck Lee announced that SAPP had lost their confidence in his leadership, Pak Lah started to scramble everywhere.

When the Oppositions requisitioned for an emergency motion of no-confidence in Pak Lah, the Parliament was cordoned off, turning it into “war zone”.

When rumours of Pakatan’s sponsored demonstration was being planned on Monday, road leading to the Parliament was off limit, while roadblocks were set up, causing a mad, massive traffic congestion in the entire Klang Valley. They even got a court order preventing Anwar from nearing the parliament building.

Does Anwar really pose a serious threat to the flip-flop PM’s stranglehold of his crown.

I personally think Pak Lah is over-reacting, because as the PM, though a flip-flop one, he is all too powerful, to even finish off Anwar politically, by invoking his greatest weapon ever – the ISA (with special thanks to Dr Mahathir). Oopsh……….

His (Anwar’s) supporters? – they will toe the line………………. or else throw them together with their political master in Kamunting. End of the story. It is not that he (Pak Lah) is not used to do that.

abROcadabRO @ just-mythots
Subang Jaya