PETALING JAYA: A political analyst sees Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a stronger position now than when he assumed his position last March despite rumblings in Umno against his party, PPBM.
Syed Arabi Idid of International Islamic University Malaysia said he believed Muhyiddin had earned a lot of public support through his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“He is like the gentleman commander in a war,” he told FMT.
Syed Arabi noted that Muhyiddin had also managed to rope in smaller parties into his government and fortified PPBM with former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali’s faction.
PPBM and its leaders have come under fire from some Barisan Nasional leaders, particularly from Umno, over several issues, including those concerning directly negotiated government contracts and PPBM’s push to set up a non-Malay wing.
This has raised questions regarding the stability of Muhyiddin’s administration.
PPBM and its allies have a slim majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Syed Arabi acknowledged the presence of Muhyiddin critics in Umno, but he said those in the Cabinet, who are senior Umno leaders, were continuing to back him.
He also said the focus of many politicians was still on Covid-19.
“Once the pandemic dies down a bit, you may see political manoeuvrings or other issues which could threaten Muhyiddin coming to the fore,” he added.
Mohd Izani Mohd Zain of Universiti Putra Malaysia said Muhyiddin’s position was safe as long as the Perikatan Nasional administration was intact.
He said he did not see a risk of Umno and PAS “eating up” PPBM.
Izani also said he did not believe former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s new party, Pejuang, was a threat to Muhyiddin or PPBM.
“Mahathir is no longer relevant to Muhyiddin and Malaysian politics. The biggest threat to Muhyiddin will be from within his own party, particularly how PPBM handles Azmin and his supporters,” he said.
He said this was because Azmin would bring with him non-Malay supporters and the party would need to balance voices within it when it came to Malay and non-Malay interests.
Another analyst, Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, also sees Muhyiddin’s position as being solid.
If this were not so, he said, his opponents would have tried to topple him by now.
“The biggest threat to him now is the economy because it is in a really bad shape, though this is not confined to Malaysia alone,” Lee said.
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