KUALA LUMPUR — Right from the time he unveiled his list of Cabinet ministers, Mr Muhyiddin Yassin has been fighting for political stability.

Analysts polled by Malay Mail believe one power-move that could help the Malaysian Prime Minister keep his head above water, albeit temporarily, is to agree to United Malays National Organisation (Umno)’s demand for a deputy prime minister (DPM) to be appointed from their ranks. 

The current arrangement sees Mr Muhyiddin as the head of the Cabinet with four senior ministers holding the Education, International Trade and Industry, Defence, and Works portfolios appointed as his direct subordinates, without a clear number two in government. 

All four analysts were unanimous in their belief that an Umno DPM would stabilise the relationship between Umno and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

It would buy time — long enough, it is thought — for the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president to make it to the next general election. 

For Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) geostrategist Azmi Hassan, appointing an Umno leader as his deputy would stabilise Mr Muhyiddin’s leadership, to a degree, while also managing to appease the Umno grassroots.

“Basically the ball is at Muhyiddin’s feet... to ensure PN’s survival since Umno has already stated clearly their wishes. 

“Giving the DPM post (to Umno) will at least quiet things down, except it leaves the question of whether Muhyiddin is willing to accept Umno’s proposal that its president be made the DPM, or is it up to Muhyiddin to choose who he thinks in Umno can best hold the post,” said Mr Azmi.

Most of Umno’s dissatisfaction is said to stem from how their party leaders are absent from the ‘important’ portfolios in government, like the Ministries of Finance and Home Affairs.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Associate Professor Kartini Aboo Talib Khalid agrees that the appointment of an Umno leader as the DPM would help ease tensions between the party and PN. 

“The former (Umno) was grumpy and unhappy for not having a senior post, (and) now that the negotiation is working, this appointment will improve the trust between Umno and PN,” she pointed out. 

Prof Kartini said the move would also strengthen the cooperation between PN and Muafakat Nasional, the pact made up of Umno and the Malaysian Islamic Party. 

“Umno was unhappy knowing that as the biggest Malay party with the most seats compared to PN, no senior minister was appointed from Umno,” she added. 

Independent political analyst Prof Hoo Ke Ping said that despite Umno going public in its support for Muhyiddin, the party’s relationship with PN will remain rocky until its demands are met. 

“Since there is still no DPM, that means there is still a wedge. Superficially, with a DPM, that wedge would be removed; without a DPM, it means they are still fighting.”

So who should it be?

There are a few names being floated.

There is party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, his deputy Mr Mohamad Hasan, who is popularly known as Tok Mat, and party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. 

Then there are the two current federal ministers: Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also Umno vice president, and former vice president and Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein. 

Senior fellow of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Oh Ei Sun says the choice is obvious. 

“I think the smart thing for Muhyiddin to do now to hang on to power is to appoint Mohamed Hasan as a senator and make him DPM. 

“At the very least, this move would not threaten Muhyiddin’s position, as a senator is ineligible to be PM. In addition, it would cleverly refute Umno’s claim that its leaders are not placed in senior positions,” Oh told Malay Mail. 

Prof Kartini agrees with Oh that Tok Mat would most likely be appointed.

UTM’s Azmi predicts the fight to be between Tok Mat and Mr Tengku Razaleigh, suggesting how Mr Muhyiddin would select someone he can work with and who will appease the grassroots as well. 

“These two Umno veterans are seen as without personal liabilities but more importantly willing to defend the party’s political beliefs,” he said. 

Prof Hoo feels that party hierarchy will still prevail and ultimately decide who among Umno’s ranks gets promoted as Mr Muhyiddin’s deputy. 

He believes the pecking order starts with Mr Ahmad Zahid, then Tok Mat, Mr Ismail Sabri, and finally Mr Hishammuddin. 

However, for Prof Hoo, Mr Muhyiddin appears not to favour appointing Mr Ahmad Zahid as his deputy due to the Umno president’s ongoing corruption trials. MALAY MAIL