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MAY 26, 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 20 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK
Some surprise winners spiced up the UNMO elections. But maybe the pundits just got it wrong By SANTHA OORJITHAM Kuala Lumpur At previous general assemblies of the United Malays National Organization, replicas of monuments such as the Petronas Twin Towers dominated the stage. This year, delegates to the May 11-13 gathering of the dominant party in Malaysia's ruling coalition were treated to mosque domes, minarets and a verse from the Koran: "Hold fast, all of you, to the rope of Allah and don't be divided." The décor may well reflect UMNO priorities since the Nov. 29 general elections. At least half of the country's ethnic Malays voted for the opposition, UMNO's parliamentary seats dropped from 94 to 72 and the president of leading rival Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas), Fadzil Noor, took over as opposition leader. So while last year's UMNO assembly discussed the controversial ouster of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, this year it focused on Malay disunity and Pas. But first, about 2,000 delegates cast their votes in the "real elections" - for top UMNO posts. Thanks to no-contest "advice" in January from UMNO's Supreme Council, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, were unchallenged for their positions of party president and deputy. Yet a record nine candidates offered themselves for the three vice-presidential slots, while 63 ran for the 25 elected seats on the Supreme Council. The results came as a surprise to many. In the run-up, the most vice-presidential nominations went to incumbent and Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak, Johor chief minister Abdul Ghani Othman, Selangor chief minister Abu Hassan Omar and Sabah chief minister Osu Sukam. But although Najib grabbed the most votes (1,289) on May 11, the other winners were incumbent and ex-Selangor chief minister Muhammad Muhammad Taib (853) and former vice president Muhyiddin Yassin, now the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister (813). Osu came fourth (629), and for the first time there were no state ministers in the line-up. There was, however, a strong sense of déjà vu. The new troika had swept in as the "Vision Team" when Anwar became deputy prime minister in 1993 - a year that UMNO watchers say marked the height of "money politics." Last week even pro-establishment daily newspaper New Straits Times quoted a recent UMNO delegate as saying: "When the president condemned money politics, they cheered him. And when a candidate who practiced money politics was announced a winner, they also cheered." Noted UMNO veteran and commentator Abdullah Ahmad: "The delegates did not heed [Mahathir's] advice on corruption." But most delegates said vote-buying had decreased. "There were no offers from the vice-presidential candidates," says Hajjah Maimunah Yusof, women's division chief from Jelebu in Negri Sembilan state. "Representatives of some of the Supreme Council candidates did telephone and invite me for a meal. I said I have food at home." Okay. But the elected vice presidents were not "those of my choice," Mahathir claimed. So was the outcome a slap in the face for the PM? That is a hard case to make since the winners had been nominated by Mahathir's own Kubang Pasu faction. "It looks as if the choice of candidates endorsed the nominations from Kubang Pasu, which were a message," says delegate Abdul Aziz Din. Says Abdullah Ahmad: "I think [Mahathir] would have preferred Najib, Osu and any of the three remaining chief ministers - although Ihave been wrong before." Some reckon deputy Abdullah's choice would have been the same, with a preference for Johor's Ghani in the third slot. Another UMNO watcher suspects the success of the Vision Team was a backlash against behind-the-scenes campaigning for Sabah's Osu by the PM and Ghani by Abdullah. Yet others think the heavyweight chief ministers knocked each other out, leaving slots open for Muhammad and Muhyiddin. "The chief ministers should have put up only two candidates," says Abdullah Ahmad. "All three of [the winners] denied that they campaigned as a team, but it is more than coincidence." Political theories aside, delegates seemed to express a simple preference for more "outsiders." According to outgoing Supreme Councilor Ibrahim Saad: "They want people who can voice their grievances and not be tied down by the bureaucracy." Re-elected vice president Muhammad - who had to take leave from his party post for more than two years while facing charges in Australia and Malaysia of falsely declaring or failing to declare cash and assets - told Asiaweek in the lead-up to the election that party members "want leaders who are not in government who can look after our party." Added Muhammad, who was acquitted of all charges: "Since there have been setbacks in some constituencies, [they want] candidates who can give more time, see the problems at the grassroots and find answers to remedy them." This trend away from government was even more obvious in the choice of Supreme Council members. Almost half of the new team fit that criterion. "We don't want yes-men," says delegate Abdul Aziz Din. "We want checks and balances - and we don't want camps." The top Supreme Council places went to Malacca chief minister Wira Mohamed Ali Rustam, former second finance minister Mustapa Mohamed and Perak chief minister Tajol Rosli Ghazali. But despite Mahathir noting that former UMNO Youth chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had been used by Anwar "to hurl accusations at me," Zahid received the fourth-highest number of votes. Another rebel elected was former cabinet minister Shahrir Samad, suspended from UMNO in 1995 for allegedly helping opposition Semangat '46, headed by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. But were the changes so momentous? After all, most agree that the succession scenario remains the same. If Mahathir, 74, resigns before the next UMNO polls in 2003, Abdullah will succeed - and Najib is the front-runner to become his deputy. "I have not decided when I will retire," Mahathir offered helpfully. But in promising to address party concerns about more contact with the grassroots, the PM did say he would transfer more of his duties to other ministers - especially Abdullah. "I need to give more opportunity to the deputy president for him to get to know better the tasks which he will bear when he becomes the prime minister," Mahathir added. In keeping with the assembly's religious tone (no exhibits of special share allocations this year, but displays of handmade Korans) Mahathir ended his opening speech about unity with a prayer. He said some may have thought he did this to "show how Islamic I am." But the reason was that "I felt desperate. I had coaxed and cried here but it came to nothing." More likely, it was fairly much what the doctor ordered. Write to Asiaweek at mail@web.asiaweek.com
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