Coup in Melaka state govt not likely, say analyst, Umno leader
An analyst says although there is rivalry between Melaka chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali (left) and state Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh, party members would not want a crisis ahead of GE15.
PETALING JAYA: A political analyst and an Umno Supreme Council member have refuted rumours about a coup to take down the Melaka government in the wake of a long-standing rift between chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali and state Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania and the Umno Supreme Council member, who declined to be named, said these rumours should not be taken too seriously as the focus at the federal level is on the next general election (GE15).
Chin believed that Rauf was dissatisfied because he had expected to become the chief minister after the landslide win in the Melaka state elections last year.
“These rumours are just part of an ongoing feud among some unhappy members of Umno,” he told FMT.
He said that although there was conflict within the party, Umno members would not want to rock the boat ahead of GE15.
“Small issues at the state level are just a sideshow,” he said. “If there is any trouble, it is at the federal level between (the factions supporting) Najib Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.”
The Umno Supreme Council member shared similar sentiments, saying that the “noise” stemmed from unhappiness, but was not significant enough to effect change.
Last week, Rauf denied allegations that the 21 Umno assemblymen had any issue with Sulaiman’s leadership.
He said the 21, including 10 who were appointed as state executive councillors, were working hard to develop Melaka and draw more investors.
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the rumours reflected intra-Umno politics among the party “elite”.
“As ambitious individuals or factions chart their course to power, there is constant jostling and backstabbing,” he said.
Asked if Rauf posed a threat to Sulaiman’s leadership, Fauzi said it depended on whether Rauf wanted Umno assemblymen who were backing him to shift their loyalty away from the chief minister.
“But such a move will have repercussions. It will drive people, especially fence sitters, further from Umno, as they are fed up with inter-factional political antics,” he said.
He also said the state-level politicians should be focusing on alleviating the economic hardships of the public instead.
PETALING JAYA: A political analyst and an Umno Supreme Council member have refuted rumours about a coup to take down the Melaka government in the wake of a long-standing rift between chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali and state Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania and the Umno Supreme Council member, who declined to be named, said these rumours should not be taken too seriously as the focus at the federal level is on the next general election (GE15).
Chin believed that Rauf was dissatisfied because he had expected to become the chief minister after the landslide win in the Melaka state elections last year.
“These rumours are just part of an ongoing feud among some unhappy members of Umno,” he told FMT.
He said that although there was conflict within the party, Umno members would not want to rock the boat ahead of GE15.
“Small issues at the state level are just a sideshow,” he said. “If there is any trouble, it is at the federal level between (the factions supporting) Najib Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.”
The Umno Supreme Council member shared similar sentiments, saying that the “noise” stemmed from unhappiness, but was not significant enough to effect change.
Last week, Rauf denied allegations that the 21 Umno assemblymen had any issue with Sulaiman’s leadership.
He said the 21, including 10 who were appointed as state executive councillors, were working hard to develop Melaka and draw more investors.
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the rumours reflected intra-Umno politics among the party “elite”.
“As ambitious individuals or factions chart their course to power, there is constant jostling and backstabbing,” he said.
Asked if Rauf posed a threat to Sulaiman’s leadership, Fauzi said it depended on whether Rauf wanted Umno assemblymen who were backing him to shift their loyalty away from the chief minister.
“But such a move will have repercussions. It will drive people, especially fence sitters, further from Umno, as they are fed up with inter-factional political antics,” he said.
He also said the state-level politicians should be focusing on alleviating the economic hardships of the public instead.
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