This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 21, 2019 - October 27, 2019

I must admit it was difficult to choose a suitable angle to start this article. Should I begin with the Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein factor or go straight to the political intrigue concerning the premiership succession plan? Somehow, the two are intertwined.

Let’s take the Hishammuddin angle first. His moves up till now are open to assumptions, speculation and allegations.

He did not defend his vice-presidency in the Umno election following Barisan Nasional’s defeat in the 14th general election. Just when it appeared that he was taking a back seat, word got round that he was eyeing the BN secretary-general’s post and according to Umno sources, “he is still lobbying for the job”.

But a political observer said that to be fair, it was Johor Umno which suggested, along with Perlis Umno leader Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, that he be appointed BN secretary-general and “Hishammuddin did not respond to that”.

Whether he is eyeing the post or not, Hishammuddin was, at one time or another, said to have been involved in the engineering of an Umno exodus to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia — a so-called second wave following the departure of several party leaders from Umno to Bersatu.

But the second exodus did not happen. For the record, Hishammuddin denied any involvement.

Last month, Umno disciplinary board chief Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali was quoted as saying that Hishammuddin was being probed for disciplinary breaches, which included meeting the prime minister without party approval — together with PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak leaders. Hishammuddin, however, disputed that.

His offer to assist the government to track down fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, drew attention. He said he wanted “to find the truth with regard to 1Malaysia Development Bhd”. To detractors, he was “buttering up and trying to get close to the prime minister”.

Then, there was that “encounter” with Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali in Morocco last December. Hishammuddin and Azmin called that a “chance meeting” while both were holidaying with their families.

But there are people who swore that a chance meeting was too much of a coincidence and something was amiss — considering the feud between Azmin and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was then threatening to boil over.

That and all the other incidents set tongues wagging in political circles, including Umno, and Hishammuddin was seen with suspicious eyes even in his own party.

Now, there is the current flap, which is viewed as one of the biggest controversies involving Hishammuddin thus far. Pakatan Harapan is claiming that he is pushing for a government minus Parti Amanah Negara and DAP — which has expectedly been denied.

In a statement signed by the secretaries-general of PKR, Bersatu and Amanah as well as DAP’s national organising secretary, the PH secretariat called on “Umno politician Hishammuddin and his colleagues to cease their campaign to promote the idea of a government without the participation of DAP and Amanah”. Hishammuddin’s colleagues, however, were not named.

The statement also said Hishammuddin, in his writing and interviews, has signalled a tendency that returns to race-based politics and governance, which “is outdated politics that completely goes against PH’s politics of inclusiveness”.

In denying the allegations, Hishammuddin asked where in his writing it is said that “we want to sideline DAP and Amanah”. He denied talking about racial politics, claiming that he only talks about unity.

He sees the allegations as a “sign that all’s not well in PH” and calls on PH to stop blaming others for its internal problems, asking “who am I to stop Anwar from becoming PM?”

That should have nailed it, but no — Anwar has come up to claim that it was Hishammuddin himself who told him of the plan to displace DAP and Amanah in a government Hishammuddin hoped to form with the other PH parties.

And what does the prime minister have to say about the so-called plot by Hishammuddin and his colleagues? “They can try,” said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. According to him, there was never a meeting with Hishammuddin to discuss the matter.

Interestingly, if the allegation that Hishammuddin wants a government without DAP and Amanah is true, then it seems that he is pushing not for a one-race administration but one comprising Bersatu, which is Malay-based, and PKR, which is multiracial. But then, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya has also signed the statement urging Hishammuddin to stop his so-called campaign.

However, a PH source insists that Hishammuddin is campaigning for a Malay government, which he claims comprises Umno, PAS, Bersatu and PKR. This would mean the Malays of PKR or at least a section of them are included in the plan.

The source believes this is a move to drive a wedge between the prime minister and his agreed successor, Anwar.

Said another PH source, “Hisham’s fingerprints are everywhere lately, including the congress.” He was referring to the recently held Malay Dignity Congress (see accompanying story).

And a source close to the Umno leadership claimed that Hishammuddin wants “to go up via the back door and this has always been his way”.

It is worth noting that earlier on the day that the PH statement was issued, Anwar, who is the member of parliament for Port Dickson, spoke in parliament that Hishammuddin was working on a plan and advised MPs not to fear threats of prosecution against them.

Anwar was debating the Budget 2020 speech in Dewan Rakyat. He was quoted as saying “this is the problem of wanting to follow the strategy by Sembrong and others. All this is nonsense. All this is sometimes for personal survival ... to close MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) cases.” Hishammuddin is the Sembrong MP.

Anwar’s speech was sidetracked a few times when BN MPs questioned him about the succession plan. But then, BN leaders have always loved to tease Anwar over what they call the uncertainty of his succeeding Mahathir.

This time, what took place in parliament was of a different scale, as reported by Malaysiakini: “What raised eyebrows were the veiled references by both Anwar and BN MPs, which suggested the existence of behind-the-scenes efforts to rally MPs for and against the succession plan.”

According to the news portal, the hint-dropping became more apparent as the debate proceeded. As reported by Malaysiakini, “these veiled remarks come amid talk in the political circles that a faction in Umno might be working with certain quarters in PH, including in PKR, to block Anwar from becoming prime minister”.

“Anwar’s faction is also speculated to be canvassing support from both sides of the political divide.”

DAP’s Anthony Loke summed it up best by saying that the opposition should accept that it had lost to PH in the election and it should not try to get back in government by the back door.

The PH coalition, he said, has the people’s mandate to govern until the next general election.  

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