Mahathir still politically influential in Malaysian politics?
Singapore’s pro-government media The Straits Times has published a political analysis titled Will Mahathir's latest gambit strengthen the opposition?
And the Malaysian-banned online news portal Malaysia Chronicle has reproduced the article giving the headline MAHATHIR'S LATEST MASTERSTROKE: JOHOR THE BATTLEGROUND TO BURY NAJIB.
Unlike the political reports published by Malaysia’s New Straits Times that are slanted towards the Umno-led Barisan Nasional agenda, The Straits Times report looks balanced.
However, the Malaysia Chronicle headline is suspiciously flawed in logic.
In the first place, it was 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)-Prime Minister Najib Razak who invited the Johor Crown Prince, fondly referred to as TMJ by Johoreans and Malaysians, to tea in Putrajaya (the PM’s office).
So, it does not make sense that a move made by Najib is former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest master stroke.
To date, nothing official has been released by Najib’s office on the agenda and outcome of the tea meeting between him and TMJ.
What Malaysians have read, thus far is this:
On Aug 12, 2016, TMJ was at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya for a meeting with Najib.
During the meeting, TMJ, who was invited for evening tea, also discussed a few current issues related to politics and national matters.
The meeting indirectly showed how attentive HRH Sultan of Johor and HRH Crown Prince of Johor are in conveying the views and voices of the rakyat for this country to progress as a nation. Allah Peliharakan Sultan, as posted on johorsoutherntigers facebook. (Read this for context: http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/08/autonomous-sarawak-rocks-1mdb-najib.html
What is most interesting about The Straits Times news analysis is that it has not dismissed Mahathir’s political influence on Malaysians.
It would be a folly to dismiss Mahathir as a political has been because, after all, he was Malaysia’s prime minister for 22 years and still wields much goodwill with the rural folk, especially the rural Malays.
And the speculation that Najib may call for snap national polls was likely sparked by this Finance Twitter report that was republished by Malaysia Chronicle:
“Tuesday, 16 August 2016 23:59
BEHIND JOHOR PRINCE'S HIGH TEA WITH 'DROWNING MAN' NAJIB: SNAP ELECTIONS FOR JOHOR?
Written by FinanceTwitter
Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim was invited for evening tea over the weekend with Prime Minister Najib Razak, the same person the prince insulted roughly a year ago, calling him “a drowning man trying to reach and hold on to anything, including – ‘shit’“. So, what was actually cooking at the prime minister’s official residence in Seri Perdana, Putrajaya?
The meeting between Tunku Ismail and Najib has raised eyebrows due to obvious reason. In fact, of all the 9 Sultans (and 4 Governors) in Malaysia, only the Johor royal dares calling PM Najib an “arsehole” in his face, and the prime minister has no choice but to smile in return. And Tunku Ismail is the official representative of his father – Sultan Ismail Ibrahim.
Sultan Ismail Ibrahim of Johor will never meet Najib at the prime minister’s official residence because he couldn’t stomach the sight of Auntie Rosy, amongst other reasons. If Najib wants to meet the Sultan of Johor, then he has to go to Johor, not the other way. The Sultanate of Johor is considered the“Sultan of Sultans” due to historical reason.
What business was the Johor crown prince bringing to Seri Perdana? Government-controlled media reported that Tunku Ismail was “invited” so the fair conclusion is it was Najib who had serious matter to discuss with the Sultan of Johor but wouldn’t want to send a wrong (and embarrassing) signal by travelling all the way to the Kingdom of Johor.
Surely Najib didn’t invite Tunku Ismail only to force him to surrender his pendrive of which the crown prince claimed contains information about corruption within FAM (Football Association of Malaysia). Najib wouldn’t dare and the Johor crown prince couldn’t care. Therefore, the discussion between both individuals could be related to business.
The only huge business worth mentioning was the recent high-speed rail project linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. However, according to the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page, the channel Tunku Ismail uses to express his“opinions” about Najib administration, the tea-session was to convey the views and voices of the “rakyat” (people) as well.
Unless the Sultanate of Johor was of an opinion that the Singapore-KL High-Speed Rail project was another way Najib administration will use to conduct further corruption hence opposes it, the meeting could be due to political reason. Was Najib Razak trying to sweet-talk the Sultan of Johor into agreeing to an “unexpected” snap state election in Johor (*grin*)?
Yes, forget old rumours of Penang, Selangor or Terengganu state election. An“unprecedented” snap election could happen in UMNO’s own backyard – Johor. But does it make sense for Najib’s political party UMNO to call for a snap state election now after he won handsomely in the Sarawak state election plus Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar’s by-elections?
Why can’t Najib call for a snap general election and send all the opposition parties, which are now in disarray, to oblivion, once and for all? Well, he can but Najib is also a very indecisive person. It’s insufficient for Rosmah to say he’s the best looking man on planet Earth. He needs another thousand women to assure him he’s better than Tom Cruise.
There’s actually one huge thing that has been bothering Najib. You see, unlike Sarawak, Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar; the state of Johor is extremely unique. As we had analysed last year, UMNO could easily lose Johor, for real. With due respect, Johoreans are not as ignorant and uneducated as Sarawakians.
More importantly, both Islamist-party PAS and UMNO-splinter PKR were very weak in Johor as compared in Sungai Besar (in Selangor) and Kuala Kangsar (in Perak). PAS contested 31 state seats in Johor during the 2013 general election, but won only 4 seats. PKR, on the other hand, contested 11 seats and won 1 in the same general election.
Like it or not, both PAS and PKR were considered “mosquito” parties in Johor. Only DAP won convincingly – took 13 out of 14 seats contested. In other words, Johorean Malays have no sympathy towards Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy persecution, or Hadi Awang’s promise of 72 virgins in paradise. And thestatistics are scaring the shit out of Najib Razak.
In an event of a 5% votes swing, Najib government could lose 11 Johor state seats, assuming opposition can maintain their 2013 general election’s vote bank. This will reduce Najib’s Barisal Nasional (BN) coalition to just 27 seats from the present 38 in the Johor’s 56 state seats government, essentially handing over Johor state to opposition parties.
In an extreme situation where between 5% and 10% votes swing to opposition, BN could lose another 12 seats. Are we exaggerating things here like a snake oil salesman? Statistics don’t lie and if you care to look hard enough, the critical 11 state seats mentioned were won by Najib government withmaximum 54.6% votes.
Coincidently, DAP brilliant strategist – Liew Chin Tong – has started drumming the possibility of a snap state election in Johor. Given the refusal of 1MDB scandal to die a natural death, Najib dares not declare a nationwide election, without first testing the wishes of Johoreans. If Najib, despite the lawsuits by US-DOJ on 1MDB scandal, can still win Johor state with better results, he can win a nationwide election hands down.
The issue with Johor is that during the 2013 general election, BN won comfortably only in seats where ethnic-Malay votes were above 70%. And there’re only 15 such seats in Johor where BN won 60% and above of total votes. If a snap election is called in the Kingdom of Johor, Najib is expected to flood the state with money like running tap-water to buy votes.
Johor also commands the highest number of parliamentary seats in Peninsula Malaysia at 26 seats. If BN doesn’t do well in a state election, naturally it will do badly too in parliamentary election, although this isn’t necessary true. Opposition, especially DAP has high hope to do better in Johor. If BN could do better instead, Najib would win psychology warfare.
We believe, should the corruption-tainted Najib be able to win convincingly in a Johor state election, he will most likely call for an immediate snap general election thereafter to buy himself five more years to neutralise his 1MDB scandal – once and for all. That’s why Najib Razak has to suck up, reluctantly, to the Sultanate of Johor.
Najib doesn’t need the Johor royalty to sing songs of praise but begs a stop to negative comments from the royalty. He will take care of the rest with cash. The question is: what’s the level of preparedness and strategies of opposition parties? PAS and PKR will have little chance in Johor but both are expected to spoil the game by engaging in multi-corner fights.
That’s where former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s new political party comes into picture. Calling it Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, or Bersatu (United) for short, the new party was deliberately designed as a “racist” party to specifically target ethnic-Malays. The battle for Johor state will be between UMNO and tag-team DAP-Bersatu.
Of course, there’re other reasons why Mahathir’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia was custom-made to become more racist than the already super-racist UMNO. But that would be another article for another time. For now, let’s wait for the possibility of Johor Chief Minister calling a snap election on behalf of PM Najib Razak. - http://www.financetwitter.com/”
And The Straits Times political news analysis was this:
“Will Mahathir's latest gambit strengthen the opposition
KUALA LUMPUR • Former premier Mahathir Mohamad's new party has taken flak for limiting its full membership to bumiputera (a term for indigenous tribes and the Malay majority) and being no different from the Malay-only Umno that he left and aims to topple. Already, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's president Muhyiddin Yassin - the former Umno No. 2 who was sacked from government a year ago by Prime Minister Najib Razak - has had to fend off accusations of racism, after critics reminded Malaysians of his "I'm Malay first" remarks from 2010.
But the hope remains that this may yet be another master stroke from Dr Mahathir, who remains influential despite stepping down from office 13 years ago.
Malays have always viewed the opposition with suspicion, especially as the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) grew in strength in Pakatan Rakyat, an alliance that was reconstituted as Pakatan Harapan (PH) after Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) exited the pact last year amid a bitter feud over its Islamist policies.
A Bumi-centric party led by champions of Malay rights - indeed by none other than Tan Sri Muhyiddin who is seen as a possible prime minister - could go a long way to allay fears that the opposition would strip away the special position of Malays enshrined in the Constitution. But PH - now made up of the DAP, multi-ethnic Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Amanah (formed by rebels unhappy with PAS' leadership) - will have to work hard to convince their grassroots that their old nemesis, Tun Dr Mahathir, is now a trusted bedfellow.
His de facto leadership of the opposition's campaign to dislodge Datuk Seri Najib over graft claims linked to financial mismanagement at the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state investment firm has already divided opinion, drawing scepticism from segments of civil society still wary of the man they accuse of being a dictator during his 22 years in power. The establishment of Bersatu - whose non-bumiputera members will not be able to vote or run in internal elections - with Dr Mahathir as its chairman has only added weight to criticism that the wily old politician has not changed his tune.
"Have they (the opposition) lost their marbles simply because Mahathir is staunchly anti-Najib? They better come to their senses or they may lose their credibility altogether in their contortionist bid to perform the art of the possible," said former DAP lawmaker Kua Kia Soong, now adviser to leading human rights non-governmental organisation Suaram.
Dr Mahathir's de facto leadership of the opposition's campaign to dislodge Datuk Seri Najib over graft claims linked to financial mismanagement at 1MDB has divided opinion. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Despite these misgivings, PH leaders have been widely supportive of a Mahathir-Muhyiddin outfit. Opposition sources told The Straits Times that there has been concern that the year-old Islamic outfit, Amanah, may not be up to speed by the time the next election rolls by, especially with talk of snap polls growing louder.
39387748_-_09_08_2016_-_separty10.jpg
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"Nobody wants another PKR. But we do need a stronger Malay-centric partner," one opposition leader deeply involved in talks with Dr Mahathir said, adding that even DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang had pushed Mr Muhyiddin to form his party quickly.
The formal presence of Mr Muhyiddin as part of the wider opposition is significant, especially with the continued incarceration of another former deputy premier, Anwar Ibrahim. For so long the glue in a disparate opposition, Anwar had long been touted as an alternative prime minister in Malaysia's race-tinged politics.
An opposition heading into the next general election - which could take place more than a year early in March next year -without a clear leader would give voters yearning for stability the jitters.
Much of the work for the new party would be to win over hearts and minds in the rural Malay heartland, long regarded as solid Umno votebanks. The opposition is hoping that Mr Muhyiddin and Dr Mahathir, who expanded pro-Malay policies in his time in power, are voices the rural Malays will listen to.
"To be of any political added value, they have to win over at least a portion of rural Malays, as urban Malays are already carved up between PKR and Amanah," S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' senior fellow Oh Ei Sun told The Straits Times.
But the difficulty is turning listening ears to nodding heads.
These Malay voters, who decide on the bulk of seats in Malaysia's Parliament, are feted with handouts in cash and kind by a government dominated by Umno. Bersatu has no gifts to bring but it offers something not yet available on the opposition's plate.
It brings to the table the same Malay nationalist ideology as Umno, but without the burdens of scandal such as 1MDB nor the baggage of the goods and services tax, the 6 per cent consumption levy imposed by Mr Najib last year in the face of widespread complaints about the rising cost of living especially from the rural poor.
But even if Bersatu makes some headway on the ground, there remains the question of an electoral pact within the opposition for any meaningful challenge to be mounted to the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition.
A repeat of the recent by-elections could be disastrous. BN won handily in the two polls in June in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar - both Malay-majority semi-rural constituencies - after Amanah and PAS split the opposition vote. If an opposition pact is not forthcoming for the general election, BN could regain the two-thirds majority in the federal Parliament it lost in 2008.
PAS has staunchly refused to cede seats to Amanah, considering the splinter party to be traitors. Yet another party in the equation would complicate seat negotiations. But some in Bersatu claim to have received positive signals from PAS, which has also recently called for a truce and indicated its readiness to seek a win-win formula within the opposition bloc.
"We are the smallest party, so we can't make demands. But PAS could relinquish seats that it has made no headway in. For example, Johor, which is Muhyiddin's home state," said a Bersatu source, adding that Amanah could instead negotiate with PKR and DAP.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 16, 2016, with the headline 'Will Mahathir's latest gambit strengthen the opposition?'"
And, there you have it. The latest political round-up for the day, with some of the contents already been highlighted in one way or another by No News Is Bad News, since its birth on Aug 3, 2016,
It would be a folly to dismiss Mahathir as a political has been because, after all, he was Malaysia’s prime minister for 22 years and still wields much goodwill with the rural folk, especially the rural Malays.
And the speculation that Najib may call for snap national polls was likely sparked by this Finance Twitter report that was republished by Malaysia Chronicle:
“Tuesday, 16 August 2016 23:59
BEHIND JOHOR PRINCE'S HIGH TEA WITH 'DROWNING MAN' NAJIB: SNAP ELECTIONS FOR JOHOR?
Written by FinanceTwitter
Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim was invited for evening tea over the weekend with Prime Minister Najib Razak, the same person the prince insulted roughly a year ago, calling him “a drowning man trying to reach and hold on to anything, including – ‘shit’“. So, what was actually cooking at the prime minister’s official residence in Seri Perdana, Putrajaya?
The meeting between Tunku Ismail and Najib has raised eyebrows due to obvious reason. In fact, of all the 9 Sultans (and 4 Governors) in Malaysia, only the Johor royal dares calling PM Najib an “arsehole” in his face, and the prime minister has no choice but to smile in return. And Tunku Ismail is the official representative of his father – Sultan Ismail Ibrahim.
Sultan Ismail Ibrahim of Johor will never meet Najib at the prime minister’s official residence because he couldn’t stomach the sight of Auntie Rosy, amongst other reasons. If Najib wants to meet the Sultan of Johor, then he has to go to Johor, not the other way. The Sultanate of Johor is considered the“Sultan of Sultans” due to historical reason.
What business was the Johor crown prince bringing to Seri Perdana? Government-controlled media reported that Tunku Ismail was “invited” so the fair conclusion is it was Najib who had serious matter to discuss with the Sultan of Johor but wouldn’t want to send a wrong (and embarrassing) signal by travelling all the way to the Kingdom of Johor.
Surely Najib didn’t invite Tunku Ismail only to force him to surrender his pendrive of which the crown prince claimed contains information about corruption within FAM (Football Association of Malaysia). Najib wouldn’t dare and the Johor crown prince couldn’t care. Therefore, the discussion between both individuals could be related to business.
The only huge business worth mentioning was the recent high-speed rail project linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. However, according to the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page, the channel Tunku Ismail uses to express his“opinions” about Najib administration, the tea-session was to convey the views and voices of the “rakyat” (people) as well.
Unless the Sultanate of Johor was of an opinion that the Singapore-KL High-Speed Rail project was another way Najib administration will use to conduct further corruption hence opposes it, the meeting could be due to political reason. Was Najib Razak trying to sweet-talk the Sultan of Johor into agreeing to an “unexpected” snap state election in Johor (*grin*)?
Yes, forget old rumours of Penang, Selangor or Terengganu state election. An“unprecedented” snap election could happen in UMNO’s own backyard – Johor. But does it make sense for Najib’s political party UMNO to call for a snap state election now after he won handsomely in the Sarawak state election plus Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar’s by-elections?
Why can’t Najib call for a snap general election and send all the opposition parties, which are now in disarray, to oblivion, once and for all? Well, he can but Najib is also a very indecisive person. It’s insufficient for Rosmah to say he’s the best looking man on planet Earth. He needs another thousand women to assure him he’s better than Tom Cruise.
There’s actually one huge thing that has been bothering Najib. You see, unlike Sarawak, Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar; the state of Johor is extremely unique. As we had analysed last year, UMNO could easily lose Johor, for real. With due respect, Johoreans are not as ignorant and uneducated as Sarawakians.
More importantly, both Islamist-party PAS and UMNO-splinter PKR were very weak in Johor as compared in Sungai Besar (in Selangor) and Kuala Kangsar (in Perak). PAS contested 31 state seats in Johor during the 2013 general election, but won only 4 seats. PKR, on the other hand, contested 11 seats and won 1 in the same general election.
Like it or not, both PAS and PKR were considered “mosquito” parties in Johor. Only DAP won convincingly – took 13 out of 14 seats contested. In other words, Johorean Malays have no sympathy towards Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy persecution, or Hadi Awang’s promise of 72 virgins in paradise. And thestatistics are scaring the shit out of Najib Razak.
In an event of a 5% votes swing, Najib government could lose 11 Johor state seats, assuming opposition can maintain their 2013 general election’s vote bank. This will reduce Najib’s Barisal Nasional (BN) coalition to just 27 seats from the present 38 in the Johor’s 56 state seats government, essentially handing over Johor state to opposition parties.
In an extreme situation where between 5% and 10% votes swing to opposition, BN could lose another 12 seats. Are we exaggerating things here like a snake oil salesman? Statistics don’t lie and if you care to look hard enough, the critical 11 state seats mentioned were won by Najib government withmaximum 54.6% votes.
Coincidently, DAP brilliant strategist – Liew Chin Tong – has started drumming the possibility of a snap state election in Johor. Given the refusal of 1MDB scandal to die a natural death, Najib dares not declare a nationwide election, without first testing the wishes of Johoreans. If Najib, despite the lawsuits by US-DOJ on 1MDB scandal, can still win Johor state with better results, he can win a nationwide election hands down.
The issue with Johor is that during the 2013 general election, BN won comfortably only in seats where ethnic-Malay votes were above 70%. And there’re only 15 such seats in Johor where BN won 60% and above of total votes. If a snap election is called in the Kingdom of Johor, Najib is expected to flood the state with money like running tap-water to buy votes.
Johor also commands the highest number of parliamentary seats in Peninsula Malaysia at 26 seats. If BN doesn’t do well in a state election, naturally it will do badly too in parliamentary election, although this isn’t necessary true. Opposition, especially DAP has high hope to do better in Johor. If BN could do better instead, Najib would win psychology warfare.
We believe, should the corruption-tainted Najib be able to win convincingly in a Johor state election, he will most likely call for an immediate snap general election thereafter to buy himself five more years to neutralise his 1MDB scandal – once and for all. That’s why Najib Razak has to suck up, reluctantly, to the Sultanate of Johor.
Najib doesn’t need the Johor royalty to sing songs of praise but begs a stop to negative comments from the royalty. He will take care of the rest with cash. The question is: what’s the level of preparedness and strategies of opposition parties? PAS and PKR will have little chance in Johor but both are expected to spoil the game by engaging in multi-corner fights.
That’s where former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s new political party comes into picture. Calling it Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, or Bersatu (United) for short, the new party was deliberately designed as a “racist” party to specifically target ethnic-Malays. The battle for Johor state will be between UMNO and tag-team DAP-Bersatu.
Of course, there’re other reasons why Mahathir’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia was custom-made to become more racist than the already super-racist UMNO. But that would be another article for another time. For now, let’s wait for the possibility of Johor Chief Minister calling a snap election on behalf of PM Najib Razak. - http://www.financetwitter.com/”
And The Straits Times political news analysis was this:
“Will Mahathir's latest gambit strengthen the opposition
KUALA LUMPUR • Former premier Mahathir Mohamad's new party has taken flak for limiting its full membership to bumiputera (a term for indigenous tribes and the Malay majority) and being no different from the Malay-only Umno that he left and aims to topple. Already, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's president Muhyiddin Yassin - the former Umno No. 2 who was sacked from government a year ago by Prime Minister Najib Razak - has had to fend off accusations of racism, after critics reminded Malaysians of his "I'm Malay first" remarks from 2010.
But the hope remains that this may yet be another master stroke from Dr Mahathir, who remains influential despite stepping down from office 13 years ago.
Malays have always viewed the opposition with suspicion, especially as the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) grew in strength in Pakatan Rakyat, an alliance that was reconstituted as Pakatan Harapan (PH) after Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) exited the pact last year amid a bitter feud over its Islamist policies.
A Bumi-centric party led by champions of Malay rights - indeed by none other than Tan Sri Muhyiddin who is seen as a possible prime minister - could go a long way to allay fears that the opposition would strip away the special position of Malays enshrined in the Constitution. But PH - now made up of the DAP, multi-ethnic Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Amanah (formed by rebels unhappy with PAS' leadership) - will have to work hard to convince their grassroots that their old nemesis, Tun Dr Mahathir, is now a trusted bedfellow.
His de facto leadership of the opposition's campaign to dislodge Datuk Seri Najib over graft claims linked to financial mismanagement at the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state investment firm has already divided opinion, drawing scepticism from segments of civil society still wary of the man they accuse of being a dictator during his 22 years in power. The establishment of Bersatu - whose non-bumiputera members will not be able to vote or run in internal elections - with Dr Mahathir as its chairman has only added weight to criticism that the wily old politician has not changed his tune.
"Have they (the opposition) lost their marbles simply because Mahathir is staunchly anti-Najib? They better come to their senses or they may lose their credibility altogether in their contortionist bid to perform the art of the possible," said former DAP lawmaker Kua Kia Soong, now adviser to leading human rights non-governmental organisation Suaram.
Dr Mahathir's de facto leadership of the opposition's campaign to dislodge Datuk Seri Najib over graft claims linked to financial mismanagement at 1MDB has divided opinion. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
39387748_-_09_08_2016_-_separty10.jpg
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New parties and Malaysia's complex political landscape
"Nobody wants another PKR. But we do need a stronger Malay-centric partner," one opposition leader deeply involved in talks with Dr Mahathir said, adding that even DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang had pushed Mr Muhyiddin to form his party quickly.
The formal presence of Mr Muhyiddin as part of the wider opposition is significant, especially with the continued incarceration of another former deputy premier, Anwar Ibrahim. For so long the glue in a disparate opposition, Anwar had long been touted as an alternative prime minister in Malaysia's race-tinged politics.
An opposition heading into the next general election - which could take place more than a year early in March next year -without a clear leader would give voters yearning for stability the jitters.
Much of the work for the new party would be to win over hearts and minds in the rural Malay heartland, long regarded as solid Umno votebanks. The opposition is hoping that Mr Muhyiddin and Dr Mahathir, who expanded pro-Malay policies in his time in power, are voices the rural Malays will listen to.
"To be of any political added value, they have to win over at least a portion of rural Malays, as urban Malays are already carved up between PKR and Amanah," S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' senior fellow Oh Ei Sun told The Straits Times.
But the difficulty is turning listening ears to nodding heads.
These Malay voters, who decide on the bulk of seats in Malaysia's Parliament, are feted with handouts in cash and kind by a government dominated by Umno. Bersatu has no gifts to bring but it offers something not yet available on the opposition's plate.
It brings to the table the same Malay nationalist ideology as Umno, but without the burdens of scandal such as 1MDB nor the baggage of the goods and services tax, the 6 per cent consumption levy imposed by Mr Najib last year in the face of widespread complaints about the rising cost of living especially from the rural poor.
But even if Bersatu makes some headway on the ground, there remains the question of an electoral pact within the opposition for any meaningful challenge to be mounted to the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition.
A repeat of the recent by-elections could be disastrous. BN won handily in the two polls in June in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar - both Malay-majority semi-rural constituencies - after Amanah and PAS split the opposition vote. If an opposition pact is not forthcoming for the general election, BN could regain the two-thirds majority in the federal Parliament it lost in 2008.
PAS has staunchly refused to cede seats to Amanah, considering the splinter party to be traitors. Yet another party in the equation would complicate seat negotiations. But some in Bersatu claim to have received positive signals from PAS, which has also recently called for a truce and indicated its readiness to seek a win-win formula within the opposition bloc.
"We are the smallest party, so we can't make demands. But PAS could relinquish seats that it has made no headway in. For example, Johor, which is Muhyiddin's home state," said a Bersatu source, adding that Amanah could instead negotiate with PKR and DAP.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 16, 2016, with the headline 'Will Mahathir's latest gambit strengthen the opposition?'"
And, there you have it. The latest political round-up for the day, with some of the contents already been highlighted in one way or another by No News Is Bad News, since its birth on Aug 3, 2016,
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