TUESDAY’S much-hyped Umno supreme council meeting was held in a small and narrow office space, at a temporary three-storey building some two minutes away from the Dewan Rakyat.
Earlier, just before 6pm, droves of limousines with heavily tinted windows made their way into parliament grounds. Elsewhere, press members found it difficult to gain entry, due to the coverage quota restriction imposed during the ongoing august house sessions.
Minutes later, newsmen armed with recorders and notebooks, cameramen burdened with their tripods, and the VIPs’ bodyguards bottlenecked the already cramped pathways on the second floor.
Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal were nowhere to be seen, even as the meeting was convened and chaired by party No. 1 Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Sources claim Muhyiddin and Shafie were away, hence, they could not make it to the meet.
At the same time, word has it that only elected council members, all 25, apart from the functionaries were called to the meeting. After all, they are the ones with voting power and can conclusively determine the course of a decision.
About an hour later, Najib entered a packed press conference room, accompanied by vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, treasurer-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Puteri chief Datuk Mas Ermieyati Shamsuddin.
Najib announced the sacking of Datuk Hamidah Osman from the party over her disciplinary breach, and a move to break away from the convention of officiating wings’ assemblies — which means, the party’s deputy president will not be there to open or speak as per tradition.
Most had expected, or at least hoped, that there would be hard news on Muhyiddin and Shafie’s fate.
There were only loose hints that matters on the two were discussed. But prior to announcing the decisions, Najib expounded the need for consolidation and positive atmosphere during the assembly.
What was outlined on Tuesday night generally corresponded with the actions by those who went against the party’s code of conduct.
Hamidah, for example, was found belligerent towards the leadership and dabbled in unsubstantiated accusations, moreover within the public sphere.
Ostensibly, with the current woes afflicting Umno coupled with the ever fluctuating political landscape, the party can no longer afford to suffer dissidents.
It is not that Umno has been weakened at the knees, but the party has chosen to remain cautious in times of great, external political challenges. It has learned from past crises that no good will ever come from internal strife, as seen during its factional war in 1987.
There are views that the decisions were politically malicious; a contention that it not entirely correct. Political, yes. But malicious? No. It is not about silencing critics, but on a broader aspect, Umno is bent on making tough calls to preserve its direction and uniformity.
It is not the first time that the party has done similarly to dissenters in the past, even under the previous leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The answer lies in Umno’s political will, whether it is brave enough to implement a choice for the greater good.
Of course, such a notion tallies with the tale of Muhyiddin’s ongoing spat with the party’s leadership.
For instance, one supreme council member, when met over coffee revealed that a few in the roster were leaning towards Muhyiddin’s opinion against Najib. But most had in the end, decided to back the party president.
“We have to support Najib because we need his leadership now, more than ever. At present, he is the most suitable leader to bring Umno forward. All of these movements against him will never lead to anything good for the party. We need to look at the bigger picture,” said the council member.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin on his Facebook page said the decision to have the wings’ assemblies officiated by their respective heads, was meant to silence him from speaking behind the rostrum.
However, while Muhyiddin’s thoughts are indeed popular among conspiracy theorists, one must realise that Umno, too — based on the decisions made by its supreme council — means business when it comes to party consolidation.