Muhyiddin is not an end-game

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin came out first in the Vice President race of 1993.

That was the year the Wawasan team ousted the incumbents that include Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Tan Sri Sanusi Junid. If memory serve us right, Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar pulled out of the race.

This was the year Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim won the Deputy President race in a blietzkrieg over the late Tun Ghaffar.

The late Tun had to back out after not getting sufficient nomination. Anwar was further strengthen by the undemocratic bonus votes.

Come 1998, Abdullah was waiting to return and one of the VP post had to make way.

Muhyiddin became the natural target for the Abdullah group to re-enter and the incumbents Dato Najib and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib would want to survive the musical chair.

That created a cummulative effect that saw the #1 VP beaten out.

That year Dato Najib came out first, Pak Lah second and believe Mat Taib third. For one term, Muhyiddin had no position in the Supreme Council and it was 2003 that he managed a close come back and led Mat Taib out.

A week after Muhyiddin lost in 1998, one of Muhyiddin's boys from Johor Baru arranged a group of Johoreans to meet him in his effort to console him. So, we turned up one afternoon to provide a shoulder for him to cry on or wall to bounce his thoughts.

Muhyiddin had just returned to Kuala Lumpur after a 9 year term as Johor Menteri Besar from 1986 to 1995. He was at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

It must have been 1995 that we visited him at the Saujana, his official home for a discussion. To be honest, we had a proposal in mind. The idea proposed was acceptable but he broke it to us that he will be called back to Kuala Lumpur.

Forget about the proposal because one of the partner was too proud to meet Dato Gani Osman. He had been too close to Gani that the friendship turned sour. Anyway that partner was an asshole, pardon my french.

Muhyiddin was quite composed that afternoon we met him at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. He hardly talked much of the lost but was talking about the plans and intentions behind the many of Tun Dr Mahathir's great and big ideas.

There was one keyword he kept repeating that cannot be forgotten. He was lamenting about the need to maintain "kesetiakawanan" (comradeship) UMNO.

He acknowledged the competitiveness to attain positions in UMNO but comradeship should always be in their mind to provide the limit to their political campaign.

All the leaders are a member of a team that work together, grew up together, build friendship and even end up into family relations with each other.

Muhyiddin said then that too much shared between us that it is unthinkable to foresake all these for only party position.

Win or lose, there is still a need to regroup and work together after party election.

Muhyiddin gave an angle that explains the need for unity in the party. It was beyond a cliche being repeated over and over again that it had turned meaningless in the light of negativity surrounding UMNO. Comradeship is the important component for unity in UMNO.  

Fast forward 17 years later.

Recently we were in a conversation with an old friend from University days. We got to know each other at a student conference in New York in 1981. Though younger than Muhyiddin, the former hippie from Muar is his old close friend for like 30, 40 years.

We opened by making him comfortable. Knowing the Muhyiddin camp are guarded and cautious these days, we said we doubt Muhyiddin will take on Najib for the UMNO Presidency and subsequently be Prime Minister.

There were many reasons mentioned but the major one was his reluctance to take on Pak Lah for the Presidency in 2008. Muhyiddin insisted to respect the succession plan for Najib to move up first.

His mouth opened like floodgate as megabytes of data coming out of a 1-terrabyte external disc into a laptop. He said it is not as simple as that because it is more than that. For Muhyiddin to take on Najib, a lot has to be considered.

Muhyiddin is a fighter and he has never refrained from expressing his mind when the time warrants it. But differing is not sufficient ground to rock the boat [read The Patriot here].

While he has expressed himself and differ with his bosses, he has never fought his bosses.

When Johoreans were backing Tun Musa's camp in the epic battle between Tengku Razaleigh versus Tun Dr Mahathir, it was the swing by Tan Sri Muhyiddin and Dato Najib that gave the 44-votes victory. They turned up together at an event on the last night of campaiging and that sealed the victory.

Whenever Muhyiddin expressed himself, including backing Tun Dr Mahathir during the constitutional crisis, he did it with the bigger interest of alif ba ta and the party.

Remembered the late Sultan Johor being upset with his Menteri Besar that he called him the other Sultan. Maybe recent happening has links to the past. Sure, sure ... his majesty cares for his subject.

It was Muhyiddin, never any other charlatans that have been making claims, to raise to Pak Lah to look into the option of quiting his Presidency and Prime Ministership. He said it first and the rest were chorus boys afraid to make the first move.

To repeat, Muhyiddin never fought his boss.

In the midst of our student friend explaining of Muhyiddin's position on 1MDB, suddenly "kesetiakawanan" came out from his mouth. Didn't we hear it before?

Muhyiddin raised 1MDB not to create controversy and topple Najib. He does not need to do it. He never aspire to be Deputy Prime Minister in the first place. That we have heard him say.

At the back of his mind. being Prime Minister is never in the plan for this kampong boy from royal town of Muar.

If Najib managed to sort things out and an succession plan is accepted by UMNO and have the confidence of public, Muhyiddin will resign before anyone can say properly "super-cali-fragilistic-expialidocious".

Supposed Muhyiddin do have aspirations. One step up only makes one dream of moving another step further. He does not to do anything, including raising about 1MDB or tell two sister in private to get things moving. Thats bull.

All he has to do is stay quiet and let Tun Dr Mahathir do his bidding. So the attempt by some Tun M hangers on to promote the idea to welcome Muhyiddin back from his golf trip was stupidity of the believe-RM42-billion-lesap kind.

Our late sociologist sifu told us never to use the same trick again and again.

It does not matter that Haji Tusrin message of Muhyiddin itinary to his inner circle was leaked and viralled. It is common for him to do so and it was never a habit of Muhyiddin to send or welcome his bosses at airport or to have his people do so to him. [read back here].

One can sense these people is putting Muhyiddin on the pedestal to get him chopped.

Expectedly one ex-UMNO Division position holder cum blogger made popular by The Malaysian Insider created the rumour Muhyddin will be shuffled out of cabinet.

Nah ... it won't happen. Though we have a different version, one Malaysia Today theory looks more sensible. [read here]

The position Muhyiddin took with regard with 1MDB was discussed with Najib just like Dato Hishamuddin discussed with Najib before making statement at trying to be his own man.

He wanted Najib to take charge of the situation because it will be exploited by oppositions and faction within UMNO out to topple UMNO and BN.

Hishamuddin's recommendation for PWC to do the forensic and giving three conditions was strange. He was doing a playsafe on 1MDB but then suddenly trying to be another Nazir Razak. Dah kena bantai kaw kaw ...

There is something interesting on why Nazir Razak is repeating his attempt to be politician. 

As far as Dato Shafie Apdal, he was trying to get a "talian hayat". His days can be counted by the inches of Zahida Rafik's mini skirt. If what is heard is true, something drastic is on the horizon and he is feeling the heat so he tries to create a political conspiracy excuse.

Similar to another six million dollar man latching to someone with the hope to escape from his misdeed that had been under watch for years.

In the final say, there can only be one and only one reason for Muhyiddin's open statements on 1MDB. If he remains on a "kesetiakawanan" mode and PM knows it, then Muhyiddin is sincere in nudging PM to take charge. Muhyiddin is with PM and he is loyal to the party.

Thus far PM is on the offense and looks to be taking charge. Our student day friend loves it. Tun M people is whacking him back but give him time. So just wait and see.

In the meanwhile, Tun M is rewriting his excuses to whack at 1MDB. He is consolidating while on offensive retreat. (What is that?) He could be repeating himself because he realised his "adviser" was too presumptous and made many factual errors. He need to take cognizance of developments on 1MDB.

Najib's latest offensive means he has got his facts together. His problem is his team and as Outsyed described, hangers on are weak in communication and psywar.

TV3 is doing a pathetic propaganda war that is not effective and backfiring. Are they batting for Tun M?

One important fundamental of propaganda is that it is no propaganda when it is known to be a propaganda. It is crap to use faces like JMM, Zamil Kita, ex-PKR, ex-DAP et all.

Applies to bloggers and social media too. They would be more effective to argue issues thsn waste time trying to be newsbreaker to go up the ranking.