Hadi Awang: A village bumpkin or shrewd political warlord?

Hadi Awang: A village bumpkin or shrewd political warlord?



IN recent times, it is getting obvious that ties between UMNO and PAS, allies under the Muafakat Nasional charter have turned sour.

Reports have surfaced that UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his PAS counterpart, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang have even refused to hold meetings to iron out issues between them.

As we all know, the reason why their “golden partnership” had gone south is due to PAS’ close ties with UMNO’s splinter party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). While UMNO wanted PAS exclusively to itself, the Islamist party joined the Perikatan Nasional coalition led by Bersatu.

While many in UMNO and their supporters had accused PAS of selling out, Hadi had reiterated that the party was buddies with UMNO but still open to be part of a larger coalition which represents the Malay-Muslim movements across the country.

So, what is going on? Who is betraying who in this situation? Let us dissect the complex situation involving the two largest Malay political parties in the country.

In the writer’s point of view, if we are arguing based on the Muafakat Nasional charter, Hadi is right through and through.

If one studies the charter, the five resolutions signed under the pledge, nowhere does it say that it was about UMNO and PAS joining hands to form a political pact.

Muafakat Nasional is about how Malay-Muslims movements, political or apolitical, coming together under the charter to defend Malay-Muslim interests in the country. So, it was nothing wrong when Bersatu also expressed interest to sign the pledge, which was opposed by UMNO.

And Hadi was right when he said that Muafakat Nasional should not become an exclusive group for a select few and must welcome anyone who supported the resolutions signed under the pledge, which is why PAS insisted that any political cooperation must include Bersatu in the equation.

Now, we have cleared issues pertaining to the charter, let us now analyse the “politician Hadi”.

Many quarters have mocked the Marang MP for being a village bumpkin for sidelining UMNO. With Melaka voters delivering a decisive blow to PAS, the insults against Hadi have intensified…but is he really a fool as many claimed? In the writer’s view, he is far from it.

If one understands UMNO, the nationalist party has this “big brother” attitude. Whatever the arrangement is, UMNO must become its top dog and everyone else should just follow its direction…and Hadi has no interest in turning PAS into the next MCA or MIC.

Having seen UMNO’s treachery first hand when PAS was part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) back in the 1970s, he knew the former was in a weak position after the last general election and it needed the latter to bolster its standing.

However, Hadi knows that once UMNO is strong again, history may repeat itself and he remembers how PAS had to build itself back from scratch after being ousted unceremoniously from BN. At the same time, PAS needed UMNO to boost its standing to become a national player. So, it’s win-win for both.

A livid UMNO, amateur Bersatu

But PAS needs a buffer to keep UMNO in check, and that came in the form of Bersatu. Its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin knows it and is happily playing ball due to his own spite against the nationalist party for ousting him twice!

In a nutshell, both Hadi and Muhyiddin are playing an interesting game where they can “leach out” UMNO for its strength but at the same time, keep it docile enough so that it would not become a threat to the duo.

So again, is Hadi really a village bumpkin or is he portraying himself as one so that his opponents, among allies and adversaries, will remain oblivious to his shrewd manoeuvrings?

Nevertheless, Hadi of all people must know one thing, UMNO neither forgives nor forgets those who play them out.

UMNO is an institution, just like PAS. It may be a strong, mediocre or a failed institution…but an institution nonetheless. Since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s departure from the party, UMNO has never placed its strength on its top leaders and that is why despite many presidents coming and going, it still remains a formidable force in the country.

But the same cannot be said about PAS and Bersatu. After the passing of its spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Hadi had consolidated power and has become its undisputed leader. He has purged all dissent and kept mediocre loyalists in the leadership team. This is a recipe for disaster as once Hadi is out, the party may get destabilised if a “rejuvenated UMNO” decides to seek revenge.

And relying on Bersatu in the long run may prove to become another disaster as the party is heavily reliant on Muhyiddin’s popularity. Unlike PAS and UMNO, the former does not have solid grassroots and is reliant on the Islamist party’s wide network to bolster its strength.

In a nutshell, one can assume that Hadi is treading a fine line in managing its ties between UMNO and Bersatu. Only the 15th General Election would tell whether PAS’ power play has worked to its advantage or otherwise.

In any case, PAS leaders should remember; UMNO never forgets! – Dec 14, 2021.