The power equation in Umno seems to have tilted again, this time back to Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is expected to face a strong challenge for the Umno presidency from his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, next year.The indications were clear after influential former premier Mahathir Mohamad publicly chided Muhyiddin over an educational policy, suggesting that Malaysians could call on Najib to overturn the DPM's decision if they found it unacceptable.
Muhyiddin had given strong warning that he wanted to abolish PPSMI or the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science in English, and revert the medium of instruction to Bahasa Malaysia.
Many accused him of of sabre-rattling and trying to score brownie points with the Malay electorate and Umno members ahead of the party's December annual assembly. Indeed his rhetoric to stand up for the use of Bahasa Malaysia as being the patriotic thing do served to compound his racist image.
But worse than that, he stepped on Mahathir's toes.
Not all Malays want PPSMI dumped
It was the 85-year-old former PM who had introduced PPSMI, just months before he retired, leaving the hot potato with his successors. Apart from Umno-linked NGOs like Perkasa, most of the serious and established Malay groups including a large chunk of the teaching profession have been vocal in their demands for a language reversion to Malay.
Nonetheless, there are obviously many Malay professionals, especially from the urban areas, who also prefer English as the medium of instruction for the two subjects. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for Mahathir to secure Muhyiddin's about-turn.
Just like Najib, the DPM has been been careful to stay in Mahathir's good books. Najib himself had tried to dismantle some of Mahathir's policies, including liberalising the economy, but had to give up his plans after Mahathir ganged up with Muhyiddin to pressure him.
As the incumbent party president, Najib has a chance, albeit slim, to fend off any challenge from Muhyiddin if Mahathir remained neutral. But if Mahathir were to side Muhyiddin, it would be curtains for the PM. This has been the tactic used by Mahathir to keep Najib toeing the line. And he is also using it against Muhyiddin now.
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