KUALA LUMPUR: Returning to Putrajaya as the deputy prime minister would allow embattled Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to tighten his grip on the party.
Political analysts believe that Zahid, with his appointment as one of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's deputies, has also stamped out any significant challenge to his presidency in next year's party polls by keeping Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's camp out of the new cabinet.
Umno is expected to hold its party elections in May 2023 after the party's extraordinary general meeting in May decided that party polls should be held within six months after the 15th General Election (GE15).
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun reckoned that Zahid, with federal backing, now has the government machinery and resources at his disposal, which is typically crucial in Umno elections.
Oh said Zahid had also consolidated his support within the party by placing his loyalists in the new cabinet.
"Ismail Sabri and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein are too scattered in their respective supports within Umno to mount any meaningful challenge against Zahid in the coming party polls."
Three of Umno's top five leaders were part of the new cabinet lineup announced by Anwar on Friday.
They include Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, his deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan (defence minister), and party vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (higher education minister).
Other Umno leaders appointed to the cabinet were Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir (foreign minister), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (minister in the prime minister's department — law and institutional reform) and Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz (international trade and industry minister).
Zahid came under fire after Barisan Nasional (BN) saw its worst-ever outing in a general election after winning only 30 parliamentary seats in GE15.
Various Umno leaders, including Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and former information chief Shahril Hamdan, had pressured Zahid to step down following the dismal performance.
However, a defiant Zahid quickly rallied support for the unity government concept led by Anwar. Fault lines within Umno became apparent when Ismail Sabri and Hishamuddin reportedly rejected Zahid's idea to cooperate with their longstanding rival, Anwar.
Universiti Sains Malaysia's Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian believed that Zahid regained the confidence of party grassroots by keeping Umno as part of the federal administration.
"Zahid will be seen as the Umno president who brought BN back in government despite its worst-ever performance in GE15.
"On the other hand, without any position in the government, Ismail Sabri's camp might have to find another platform to regroup against Zahid for the party polls."
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said Zahid's victory in the party polls was crucial for Anwar's unity government to keep going.
One added advantage for Zahid, he said, was that Umno had more cabinet posts than DAP, although the latter won more parliamentary seats.
"This would allow Zahid to show that Umno has a stronger footing in the new government than DAP and justify his decision to work with PH instead of Perikatan Nasional."