ZAHID Hamidi's comeback as the Umno president is of no surprise. Being slapped with 87 charges now - never happened in any parts of the world - the move is seen timely to steer the party which is marred with turbulence caused by certain quarters greedy for power and money. On the utmost, Umno will give due attention to its collaboration with Pas in their bid to shatter Pakatan Harapan dominance in the next general election.
To most of Umno members, Zahid decision is much awaited, to some its a challenge to their vested interest in seeing their 'clan leaders' being chosen to replace him and few others at the top. Gone are their dreams of clinching some senior positions in the party, and as for Dr Mahathir and Gangs, Zahid comeback came as the biggest obstruction to his intention to further demonise Umno and force its members to cross over to Bersatu.
Welcomed by his deputy Mohamad Hasan and other seniors, Zahid's only challenge now is to unify the dissenting factions within the party and move them in unison as preparation to make Umno formidable again. But of course he cannot avoid the voice of mutiny from inside and outside the party because they are short-sighted of the main struggle and harping on individual politics of interest.
Announcing in Bagan Datuk yesterday that he is coming back to office - a year after being elected - Zahid received applause from the floor amid worrisome response from his close aides over the possibility of a 'more torrid' situation in the near future.
However, I am of the opinion that Zahid, Tok Mat and his subordinates should consider the party's struggle first rather than attending to the ridicules. Winning the general election is more important than securing a seat in the party. And in binding solid cooperation from Pas, Umno must be seen as running still water.
Political comebacks tend to come in two forms. The first is when the party stumbles back into power because of the mistakes in the past. A classic instance happened in the US in 1976 when Watergate enabled Jimmy Carter to win the presidency.
The second kind of march back to power, which takes longer but is more enduring, reflects a party's success in coming to grips with changing political atmosphere, and I observe how Zahid has opted for the second to have a good aerial view of the situation first before make the announcement.
Umno members today seem to be fixated. Many in the party appear to be exhausted by the pressure stemmed out from PH failure in managing Putrajaya. Not that they want to see the party climb back to power but of the repercussion that caused the rakyat to plunge further into hardship. This is exactly what Zahid intends to do, which is to fight for the people's diminishing rights.
His opponents in Umno must come to senses now, that making Umno attractive again and inspire the people to vote for the party in the next general election is most paramount. Its time to change the aptitude.
Its a question of loyalty to the struggle. The party is shut out of power in Putrajaya. Approval ratings for the government are at near-record lows now and Umno needs all the strength and support to emerge a champion again, and Zahid is the only choice now for the Malays and Muslims.
Yes, political leadership has become increasingly volatile in recent times, as experienced directly by many of the leaders in Asia and Europe. While some the these leaders have returned to power, others have faded away into history.
Political capital can play a key role in the demise or reclaim of leadership and ai immediate respose can become critican not only in preventing any further loss of Umno but to begin the rebuilding if political capital towards a return to a leadership position.
Zahid would probably face some difficulties at the beginning but sooner or later it will fizzle out, hoping there will be positive improvements to the minority.
No matter what, the factors of mutiny exist in almost all parties. No matter what and come what may, Zahid makes the right decision when the party is gaining new zest in its cooperation with Pas and in providing a good platform to oust PH.
The focus should be set on Putrajaya. I would like to ask his opponents - will they set their mind on winning GE15 or carrying on with their bandwagon of deceit political cultivation? If they choose the later, may as well they think more than twice. Another burning question is are they in to defend the party or defend their quest?
This is for Zahid to address. With proper indoor consultation and with due diligent, he should be able to steer the party again and put it back in force. If it doesn't work, leave them but never allow them to wreck the party. Speak for the majority, fight for the people and guide Umno to its main struggle.
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