Umno quitting the govt? Not anytime soon, says a political analyst

A political analyst has dismissed the possibility of Umno/BN quitting the government on the basis that it would not survive if it is not in the government.

“Umno is a fading brand and dying party, so it resorts to grandstanding,” said Tasmania University’s political analyst James Chin on Facebook.

“Don’t worry, Umno lacks the courage to exit the government.

“They are irrelevant without it. They couldn’t survive outside, where there’s no easy access to funds and business opportunities.

“All this bravado is just empty rhetoric. If Umno truly had the guts, it would have organized massive street protests in support of Najib years ago.”

He said this in view of the Umno’s reaction to DAP’s Yeo Bee Yin’s remark vis a vis the High Court decision in former prime minister Najib Razak’s case.

The High Court ruled that Najib will spend the rest of his prison term in Kajang Prison instead of being under house arrest as recommended in the additional royal addendum by the former Agong.

DAP’s Yeo Bee Yin remarked that the court decision was something to celebrate.

This, in turn led Umno leaders to train their guns at her. Umno Youth leader Datuk Akmal Saleh even urged BN to withdraw its support to the Madani government.

“This isn’t a racial matter but a criminal one. The very fact that Umno is attempting to frame it as racial reveals their inability to defend Najib’s culpability.

“So, Umno, if you have the nerve, go ahead and leave the government now. But you will not.

“In fact, there is nothing that will make you leave government, except when you join another coalition to set up a new government.

“Most of what we see wrong in Malaysia today, especially state racism, is due to Umno and Mahathir.”