A real plot or just hot air?

THE Prime Minister has denied it several times but “the plot,” for want of a better term, continued to be a topic of conversation at the Hari Raya open house events of political parties.

But the more Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim denied, the more people talked about it.

Even the Sultan of Johor, who is seen as the next King, weighed in and warned against any disruption to the government.

The rumour had acquired a life of its own, spreading from the common people to the palace.

It had started as loose talk that the Unity Government would not last. Then came whispers of Umno MPs jumping ship and hints of by-elections and soon it seemed like another Sheraton Move in the making.

“It struck me as psychological warfare from the very start. I could see it was aimed at the PM, to create intrigue, a mind game to portray the government as unstable,” said Shah Alam PKR deputy chief and Kota Anggerik assemblyman Najwan Halimi.

Some of Najwan’s friends in PKR were quite paranoid because they had previously dismissed the Sheraton Move and it actually happened.

“The anti-hopping law makes it quite impossible to topple the government the same way but that’s the power of rumours,” said Najwan.

In politics, there is a saying that a rumour is not true until it is denied and some of those around the Prime Minister were not in favour of him addressing the speculation head-on.

“But the PM had to put a stop to it. He is trying to woo foreign investments and such rumours are not good, it creates uncertainty. He needed to put his foot down, to stress that it is no, no and no, and that’s it.

“I’m not saying that we are taking it lightly but I don’t believe that Umno would want to sacrifice its place in the government,” said the Prime Minister’s chief political secretary Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin.

An aide to a former minister does not see any of the Barisan Nasional MPs acting out of turn - at least for now.

“There is no spark or trigger for them to resign. It is mostly hot air, like an Opposition trial run before the state elections,” said the aide.

This, the aide added, was unlike the Sheraton Move which was birthed by Malay fears about their rights and religion after the 2018 general election.

Nevertheless, there is danger given simmering dissatisfaction over bread and butter issues.

Promises made by Pakatan Harapan on a string of issues - cost of living, petrol prices and even the 13-month pay for workers - are constantly being played out on social media to remind the people what they voted for.

Promises and threats made when they were the opposition - be it to burn down the Lynas rare earth plant or to wipe out corruption - have become the subject of jokes and satire.

The extension of the tenure for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief immediately revived videos of a PKR protest that promised to go after Datuk Seri Azam Baki, to arrest and handcuff him.

Many of those in government are still struggling to make the transition from opposition, where they can open their mouth without thinking, to being the government, where they have to think before speaking.

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has tried to turn the tables on Perikatan Nasional by claiming that the opposition coalition will not last and that PAS has a record of abandoning its partners.

The Deputy Prime Minister said this at a low-key event to celebrate Umno’s 77th anniversary where he also defended Umno’s role in the Unity Government.

The partners in the Unity Government are putting on a big show of solidarity at their gathering this Sunday which PKR’s Shamsul said will cement the ties within the coalition.

“The PM believes in the wisdom of the masses despite the noise on social media. Our surveys have shown that the public sees us as a government composed of all races, providing job opportunities for the young and friendly to business,” said Shamsul.

Back to the burning question of “the plot” which is still lingering in the air - who is behind it?

It is arguably one of the most successful psywar campaigns in recent times.

Most fingers are pointing at Bersatu although its deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu is famous for urging politicians not to play politics.

“Don’t point to us. I have always been consistent in asking everyone to focus on solving the people’s problems. That’s what the government should be doing instead of going on a witch-hunt against the opposition,” said Ahmad Faizal.

Some have alleged that the mastermind is Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin although he would be the first to deny it.

This is coming from people who are familiar with the way Hamzah works, how his mind ticks and his art of psywar.

He is a skilful operator who prefers to stay behind the curtain while watching his ideas play out on the political stage.

Bersatu leaders know it is tough to collapse a government that enjoys a two-thirds majority in Parliament but “the plot” is happening with an eye on the state elections which is turning out to be another mother of all elections.

The state polls cannot topple the federal government. But doubts about the longevity of the Unity Government will deepen if there is no visible Malay swing in the contested states.

As such, if anything major is to happen, it will happen after the state elections, depending on the outcome.

> The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own