From Pro-Anwar To Anti-Anwar, Sour Grapes Umno Go After Mat Sabu

Written by  Wong Choon Mei,

Sour grapes in UMNO have begun griping as party leaders wake up to the slap in the face dealt to them by PAS members.

Fearing a similar tsunami might take place amongst their own disenchanted members, UMNO stalwarts and loyalists rushed to poke fire and create disunity amongst PAS supporters, who were jubilant at the pace of reform taking place in the Islamist party.

Leading the UMNO pack was Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who continued trying to drive a wedge between PAS and its Pakatan Rakyat partners PKR and DAP.

He slammed PAS for sacrificing its Islamic state ideal for a welfare state, saying it was proof that PAS leaders had lost their way.

"Congratulations to the DAP and PKR for succeeding to influence PAS to the extent that only those aligned to them were elected as PAS vice-presidents and even the deputy president," Bernama reported Mukhriz as saying.

"The influence of the DAP and PKR in PAS is very substantial. This does not reflect that PAS is free from the influence of those who are actually against Islam."

But despite his insinuation, Mukhriz was keen to add that the formation of a welfare state had actually been fought for by UMNO and Barisan Nasional from long ago, ever since independence from colonial rule in 1957.

Stooges Of Anwar

Meanwhile, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali said new PAS leadership was subservient to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, calling Spiritiual Adviser Nik Aziz and PAS president Hadi Awang "stooges".

“Anwar’s voice in PAS is determined by Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi who has become a stooge. The others are not relevant.True, there are the Erdogans, ulamas and others but all do not have any influence except for Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi the stooge,” Malaysian Insider reported Ibrahim Ali as saying.

Yet Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali took a completely opposite stand, predicting war between Anwar's PKR and PAS because newly-elected deputy president Mohamad Sabu did not like Anwar.

“Mat Sabu only studied in ITM and did not even finish, he is not even a religious studies graduate from the Middle East. It is an embarrassment to the ulama faction in PAS because Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications while the Erdogans are disappointed because Mat Sabu does not support Anwar,” Malaysian Insider reported Syed Hassan as saying.

The Truth

The Perkasa sec-gen also said that Mat Sabu had once called Anwar "al-Juburi" or Anwar the anus, referring to the latter’s sodomy trial in 1998.

But the conflicting stories of whether Mat Sabu and PAS were pro-Anwar or anti-Anwar are actually a reflection of the worry felt in the UMNO camp. Pro-UMNO media and blogs are busily hatching new speculation to hide the truth from their grassroots for fear it might trigger an exodus of unhappy members over to the rejuvenated PAS and Pakatan Rakyat.

Prior to the PAS election, Mat Sabu had been labelled an Anwarite and that if he were elected, PAS would be nothing more than Anwar's mouthpiece. Now after the stunning results, in a bid to create tension in Pakatan, UMNO spinners insist Mat Sabu hates Anwar after all.

Which is the truth?

“I ‘attacked’ Anwar since he joined UMNO in 1982 until he was sacked from it, now that he’s no longer a member and holding any position in that party, I don’t see any need to ‘attack’ him," mynewshub.my reported Mat Sabu as saying.

Mat Sabu had been aksed about the "anus" incident and he clarified that it referred to the 1998 sodomy charges slapped on Anwar by Mahathir.

“I would ‘attack’ those who are in UMNO, just like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, now we don’t simply ‘attack’ them anymore because they no longer have any executive power," said Mat Sabu.

“As for now, we attack Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor as they have the executive power.”

Panic In UMNO

Khaled Nordin, UMNO supreme council member and Minister for Higher Education, was also among the first to throw cold water on PAS president Hadi Awang's speech. Hadi had on Friday heaped scorn on the UMNO elite, saying that the Islamist party would never accept any merger offer with UMNO.

“Last time they said PAS will not cooperate with DAP. Now they cooperate. Today they say they will never break up with DAP. One day they will break up. It’s the same thing, all these are political rhetoric. Why take it so seriously?” said Khaled.

The panic in the UMNO camp is real, and erupted after the more-liberal politicians in PAS swept to power at the party polls.

"UMNO will never change. Their own elite have corrupted them. The way they think is too convoluted but they still don't get. This is the very reason why PAS members voted for Mat Sabu and the liberal team. Malaysians especially the Malays are fed up, they want a breath of fresh air," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

PAS delegates cast their votes on Friday and the results were announced on Saturday. Mat Sabu won the coveted No. 2 post with 420 votes after a three-way contest, followed by Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who polled 399 votes and incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa's 224.

In the vice-presidential race, incumbent Salahuddin Ayub took top spot with 753 votes, Husam Musa was second with 660 votes while another incumbent Mahfuz Omar kept his post with 616 votes.

Fear That Reformasi Might Spread To UMNO

UMNO media have billed the PAS contest as a tussle between the party’s conservative ulama (religious scholar) faction and the professionals or liberals (dubbed the Erdogans in a reference to progressive Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan).

Mat Sabu and all 3 vice presidents are considered as Erdogans or Anwarites. Tuan Ibrahim is widely acknowledged to be neutral, while Nasharudin made the mistake of publicly wanting a tie-up with UMNO in 2008 and 2009.

That sealed his fate in PAS, losing him the No. 2 post today. It is a telling reflection of the feeling in the Malay ground and it is clear from their reaction, UMNO is in a funk that the yearning for change and reform amongst PAS members could soon spread over to its own discontented membership base.

- Malaysia Chronicle