Monday, November 10, 2008

Umno No 2 - The Battle of The Three Ms



It has been described as the Battle Of The Three Ms - Muhyiddin, Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Mohd Ali Rustam for the Umno deputy presidency. Just weeks ago, with Muyhiddin Yassin having collected the highest number of nominations, he was almost regarded as a shoo-in for the post. But now, not everyone is sure. The Malaccan Chief Minister has checked in from behind while Muhammad has also qualified for the race.

The three-way fight is now regarded as the hottest contest with Najib Tun Razak having won the party president's post unopposed. It's no secret that Ali Rustam and Mat Taib are the preferred choices of Pak Lah, although he has said that he is not endorsing anyone. In fact, the Kepala Batas division did not make any nominations. Pak Lah's supporters are still furious at Muyhiddin, at least from their perception, for pressuring Pak Lah to step down earlier. The battle is likely to be between Ali Rustam and Muyhiddin but in a tight spot, Mat Taib could be the spoiler. Some think that the ex-Selangor MB may even pull out eventually to endorse Ali Rustam.

But with the battle heating up, Umno members and the public will be watching whether there is another "M" element in play - Vitamin M, which is now currently referred to as "bom" and "Agong" for money this time around. There are already over 900 cases of bribery allegations to the party, we can be sure the numbers would pass 1,000 by March if corruption becomes a culture.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have got a pathetic list of candidates for every position in the cabinet.It reflects the rot in UMNO and in BN. There is absolutely no minister in the cabinet that can excite the rakyat.No visionary.No true leader.Nothing.

Anonymous said...

... if corruption becomes a culture??? Excuse me ... in UMNO, it is a way of life. Corruption, as with charity, begins at home. Untold riches and power await those who make it to the pinnacle of the UMNO leadership. The UMNO minions know this too well. They may not make it into the inner circle, so it is just as well they profit from the vote they have.

As for the looming battle, it is perhaps good that Muhyiddin is getting a run for his money ... and does he have a lot. The other two M's are not exactly paupers. One has been actually caught with RM2m loose change while on a weekend shopping trip in Australia. The other one ... I don't know about how resourceful he is, but then I also do not know any UMNO MB who is without the "M" resource. There is yet one more M to consider - Dr M. The recent happenings in UMNO have been to his bidding. Pak Lah has his time table whittled down from a full term to March (and that too if he is lucky). Dr M wants him out therefore Pak Lah has to go. Look at the phenomenal rise of Mukhriz, see how silent Hishamuddin has become over Mukhriz... and even over foremer de facto UMNO youth chief, Khairy. Look at where Khairy is now. There's more to see. TDM is not about to roll over and play dead. The thorn has been removed from his flesh now. Watch the empire strike back. If he is for Muhyiddin, then the other two Ms can kiss their chances goodbye.

Anonymous said...

it came to me as a joke, dtk. why did the other 2 get last minute nominations? was it to enable a 3-corner fight or just to symbolise umno's mercy in giving them a chance?

or... is umno breaking up into sect politics?

blimme!

Anonymous said...

Dear Datuk,

Sorry you are wrong. Actually there is only one "M".

MELAYU fighting for positions in UMNO.

Yes M for MELAYU. Only one M. Whoever wins, nobody loses, a MELAYU wins.

Ha! Ha! Gotcha.

BlueMoon said...

I am more worried on the use monies rather then who will win the race. The battle is going to be very tight. The three may appear innocent but their supporters are the main culprits. The public had enough. If there is indication on the use of money in this race, then UMNO is digging its own grave.

Anonymous said...

"There are already over 900 cases of bribery allegations to the party, we can be sure the numbers would pass 1,000 by March if corruption becomes a culture."

Corruption is already a culture in Umno, MCA, MIC, gerakan. It is already embedded and will take a lot to extract it out of the system.

Police have not stopped asking bribes and the people have not stopped giving, bribing civil servants is so easy. The amounts being paid to delegates in Umno are frightening!

I think Malaysia will be among the top three if there's a table for political corruption.

Democrat

Anonymous said...

Umno's party elections affect all Malaysians and whoever is elected president and deputy president automatically becomes the prime minister and deputy prime minister of Malaysia.
For that reason alone, Umno must not turn away the full arm of the law when it comes to checking money politics. Corrupt means employed to launch a candidate into one the top positions in Umno affects all Malaysians, therefore it is imperative that the police and the ACA must be allowed to do their job.

Anonymous said...

Its not just a battle of 3 M's. Its a battle of 3 M's divided over another M (= Money).

To think that our Prime Minister is determined by some thousands of delegates with grubby fingers in the till.

The way one of the candidate got the necessary nominations, trailing massively at one point, smells fishy.

Anonymous said...

Sdr. Wong Chun Wai,

My 5-sen thots - of the three of them, Mohd Ali Rastam is the "joker"! But in UMNO, jokers cannot be written off especially if they have deep reserves. Being a non-UMNO member, my 5-sen preference would be Muhyiddin, Mike Tyson (not sure why he was given that name!). The "joker" is not my preference though.

Btw, money politics (normally termed as CORRUPTION for non-UMNO members) became part and parcel of UMNO culture since Anwar Ibrahim's rapid rise in UMNO. So there is no "ifs" but a reality! And we must congratulate Anwar Ibrahim for his "cultured" ways of maximising the use of money!

Since UMNO is so screwed, I am not surprise if Khairy Jamaluddin wins the UMNO Youth Post! If that happens sayonara UMNO! The final nail has been hammered tight...

Sekian.

amoker said...

Wonder how many millions have exchanged hands?

K L said...

It's not that I don't love my country, but I love the party more !
It's not that I don't love my party, but I love the money most !

Anonymous said...

Howdy Chun Wai

The rational choice is Muhyiddin. But not necessarily so especially in UMNO.
Ali Rustam got 40 nominations and Mat Taib 39. That makes 79 out of the 89 Muhyiddin garnered.That's too close to call.
Though Muhyiddin is in the lead it does not mean his nominations may translate into votes from the 191 divisions with 2,565 delegates.
The fact that Umno is nominating the two is a signal to Muhyiddin that they were unhappy with the way he treats Dollah.
To some Umno stalwarts it's not the done thing to shove a person when he's already down. A harsher term is kurang ajar.
Enter the two who are more mild-mannered and well-liked by the grassroots.
With their portfolios, they too have more day-today dealing with the people on the ground.
Aside from the money and the Mahatir factor who still looms large in the party, there's the magnanimity factor.
Who will be magnanimous enuough to give up when you get the sniff of power?
It will be deemed a mockery of the members who nominated you.

Anonymous said...

imagine Taib as the DPM and he has to travel to Australia for official functions. Goodness me, whats the signal given to the Down-Unders?