A simple matter that is proving so extremely difficult

 


When Dr Mahathir offers to stand in Bagan Pinang, that ennobles him as the emperor of sarcasm. He is no longer insistent. He speaks as a de facto UMNO president. He goes over for Raya at Mat Hassan's Raya do and gave his statement on Isa. When Dr Mahathir goes all out and takes position, this is grounds for circumspection. Why is Dr Mahathir so insistent? What has he got against Isa Samad. Isa Samad was ousted by Pak Lah and I would have thought anything done by Pak Lah, Dr Mahathir will automatically reject offhand. Very strange indeed.

I have been told, last night there are 5 to 6 groups meeting in Telok Kemang. They were adamant to give their unanimous support to Isa Samad to stand as candidate. Muhamad Hassan wants to propose the ketua wanita. UMNO members want Isa Samad.

UMNO is battling itself. It is exorcising its own demons. Who shall UMNO decide on? The top leadership seems to favour some other than Isa. But the ground wants Isa. It looks like the leadership is on a collision course with its followers. It risks alienating its own people. These are the people who are going to do the grunt work.

This places UMNO in a quandary. Like Sherlock Holmes said – it seems, from what I gather, to be one of those simple cases which are so extremely difficult-
The Boscombe Valley Mystery. Indeed, what should have been a simple matter is proving so formidable for the UMNO leadership. Nothing in UMNO nowadays seem simple anymore. Your past comes to haunt you.

UMNO desperately needs to bag this Bagan Pinang thing to stop the momentum. UMNO is gravely imperiled if it loses this.

So we ask, what is it that UMNO want? Is it to win or to start a cleaning up process? Which should be given priority? The UMNO people want Isa, the leadership balks at this idea. The wisdom of the crowd says they don't want Isa. It is bad for UMNO because it needs to send a strong signal to the electorate that it's on the mend. UMNO has already begun the process of restructuring. It is throwing out the quota system and election by just 2500 delegates. That shall put a stop to money politics.

But its paradoxical I must say. UMNO says it wants to begin anew. Why start at the ADUN level? For that matter why start at Isa Samad's level? The fish rots at the head. If UMNO wants to reform or transform or whatever, it should start with the top leadership. Throw them out. That's credibility. That's principled.

Away from the inquisitive minds, this battle at Bagan Pinang is between Isa Samad and Mat Hassan. Mat Hassan's hold on NS UMNO is fragile and the prospects of a man with 22 years experience as the MB sitting in the Dewan across the current MB's bench, disturbs Mat Hassan. If anything were to happen to Mat Hassan, the man NS UMNO will look up to will be Isa. That is second coming for Isa.

In the end UMNO is looking for deliverance. 

Just flip the coin.