Much ado about the Dubai Move

“HOW was your Dubai trip?” I asked Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu this trick question.

“I wasn’t there,” said Peja, as he is widely known, laughing.

“I thought everybody was there plotting the Dubai Move,” I said, referring to the rumour about Opposition leaders and rebel Umno MPs meeting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city to devise a plan to topple the government.

“So where were you?” I asked.

“I was in Perak. I spent my yearend in Royal Belum to enjoy nature. And my wife, my daughter and I had a good time there,” said the former Perak mentri besar.

When Ahmad Faizal came out of the jungle, he heard stories about the Dubai Move. But he knew that it was just coffeeshop talk, he said.

“People are talking about a few MPs meeting up in Dubai. I’m pretty sure they all went on holiday. And then since they knew everybody was there, they met up,” he said.

“Many people, even if they want to go to Europe or London, will use Emirates and they will transit in Dubai,” said Ahmad Faizal, referring to the airline based in the UAE city.

“Someone – one of the MPs – practically lives in Dubai,” I said, trying to draw him out to reveal exactly who was in the city at the time.

“Yeah, so I heard,” was all he said. Ahmad Faizal was surprised that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the media that he had received “intelligence” about MPs flying to Dubai for a meeting.

“What’s wrong with MPs meeting each other? As long as everybody is doing things according to the Constitution, and the rule of law is, it is OK,” said Ahmad Faizal.

“Even if they want to topple the government, if they do it according to the Constitution and the rule of law, what’s wrong with it?”

Ahmad Faizal said he also didn’t understand why Community Communications Department deputy director-general Datuk Ismail Yusop claimed on Dec 30 that a plot to change the government was being planned by Perikatan Nasional leaders and government backbenchers who were on holiday in Dubai.

In fact, the Bersatu deputy president couldn’t comprehend why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Ahmad Zahid were “making a big story” about this so-called Dubai Move.

“Hasn’t Pakatan Harapan and its leaders done the same? They announced previously that they had the numbers to bring down the Barisan Nasional or Perikatan government,” he said.

From feedback, Ahmad Faizal said the story about the Dubai Move is huge because the rakyat is supposedly hoping for the government’s fall.

“But this one, people were hoping, people were texting me, calling me, and asking, will it happen? Is it going to happen? Is it going to happen? They are really hoping for it to happen,” he said.

“But isn’t that your bubble?” I said, referring to the Opposition bubble in which Perikatan leaders tended to live (most politicians tend to live in their own bubbles – think Donald Trump).

“I’m talking about the normal rakyat, not my party members. I’ve been contacted by people who have never contacted me before, like some of my schoolmates. There are many unhappy people out there. They are telling me, please make it happen,” he said.

On who started the Dubai Move story, the Bersatu deputy president said it looks like it was actually the government.

The deputy director-general of J-Kom announced it, he said, referring to the Community Communications Department.

“And then only the government leaders were talking about it. None of us were talking about it,” said Ahmad Faizal.

“But since the formation of the government, haven’t there been langkah [moves] to bring it down?” I asked the politician who lost to Anwar by 3,736 votes in Tambun, Perak, in the 15th General Election in November 2022 (GE15).

“For me, as someone who is not an MP or an assemblyman, I’m unhappy with the government’s performance. We are not happy with the economy, the ringgit has fallen in value. We believe that the economy’s not doing really well. So that’s why I think if we had the chance to take over the government, of course we want to do that so that we can do better,” he said.

“But has there been a move or several moves since the formation of this government to offer a better government?” I reiterated.

“If we meet MPs from Umno or Barisan, they keep saying things like ‘Bila lah ni [when will it happen]? We are ready. Everybody is ready’,” said Ahmad Faizal.

“Ready for what, we don’t know. The issue is not the numbers, but who will lead what they are trying to do.”

“And who would that be?” I asked.

“The who who can get the numbers,” he riposted immediately.

“In the next few hours, days or months, will the current Federal Government fall?” I asked.

“I know for one thing that even though the government has a two-thirds majority in Parliament on paper, it’s not steady. Clearly, Umno members and grassroots leaders are very unhappy working closely with DAP. The same goes with DAP. But it’s convenient for them at the moment,” he said.

“I don’t know whether the leaders in GPS [Gabungan Parti Sarawak] are OK with being in the government with DAP in Putrajaya but trashing each other in Sarawak. Is that sustainable? I leave it to your readers to decide,” Ahmad Faizal said.

“If the current government is doing really well, if the economy is OK for the rakyat, everybody will be OK with deciding in the next election [who will be in government],” he added.

“But people are unhappy somehow, mostly about the economy. The ringgit is doing so badly, the cost of living is very high. So people are saying that maybe we need a new government. We got it wrong. We didn’t even want this government, which was formed because of our hung Parliament,” he said.

In GE15, Pakatan Harapan won 81 parliamentary seats, Perikatan Nasional 74, Barisan 30, GPS 23, Gagasan Rakyat Sabah six; with the remainder of the 222 seats going to minor parties and independents.

Ahmad Faizal’s wish for 2024 is for politicians to focus on the issues concerning the rakyat.

“I’m very sad because we keep talking about politics – Dubai Move, toppling the government, and the government is saying people want to topple it. Everybody is doing political work without really governing,” he said.

“There needs to be effective decision-making. No serious policy decision is being made as the government might be worried about making unpopular choices and civil servants have no direction.”

Moving forward this year, the former Youth and Sports minister listed what are, in his opinion, the country’s priorities and real battlegrounds.

> The health system, currently suffering from a lack of beds and unhappy doctors, needs to be made more sustainable. Past governments have attempted to start fixing it, and the current administration must address it as a huge priority.

> As for foreign direct investment, we have to calculate actual realised investments. The ringgit should be stronger if we are getting the kind of figures the government mentions.

> Race relations are getting worse, people are pulling further apart. Politicians have a responsibility to reverse this.

> Border security is a concern as our borders are too porous. The government must look into this as an urgent matter.

“Please don’t play politics with religion. I’m also very concerned Islamophobia has arrived in our country,” he said.

“Jangan la main politics [Don’t play politics].”