Deal is Done ! Mahathir Family Joins the Elite Dynasties to Rule a Corrupt UMNO

The deal is FINALLY done.

Prime Minister Najib has fulfilled his promise to look after the Mahathir dynasty through Mukhriz Mahathir.


(Image courtesy of Stocktube blog)

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MUKHRIZ MAHATHIR got the lowest votes in the election for the UMNO Youth Chief in which Khairy Jamaluddin won. Instead of giving Khairy a cabinet by virtue of being an UMNO Youth Chief, Najib had to pay his debt to Mahathir Mohamad by appointing Mukhriz to his new cabinet as Deputy Minister.

The general view within UMNO is that Mahathir's cajoling from the sidelines had a significant impact on Najib. It prompted Najib to keep Khairy in cold storage and put Mukhriz on the main stage.

For the PM Najib, the choice was clear cut:

Appease Mahathir Mohamad or make an enemy out of him.

Lim Kit Siang criticised Najib for for appointing losing Umno Youth chief candidate Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir as a deputy minister over Khairy Jamaluddin, who won the post.

"This reinforces public perception that Najib is under thumb of former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad," Lim said in a statement, adding there was a perception that the cabinet appointees were not clean. Read here for more

Najib Appoints Three Rejects from March 8, 2008 Election

1. Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan) -Made a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Unity Affairs & Performance Management (Gerakan). His Gerakan party was wiped out in Penang and he himself lost his seat in Penang
   
2. Sharizat Abdul Jalil (UMNO)- Made a Minister for Women, Family and Society Development. She lost the Lembah Pantai seat to Nurul, daughter of Anwar Ibrahim.
   
   
3. Chew Mei Fun (MCA) - Deputy Minister for Women, Family and Society Development. She lost her seat in Petaling Jaya Utara.

Professor Agus Yussoff, who lectures in political science at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said,

"It's not to my expectations. Those who lost elections were given positions or retained while those who won were not."

Khairy Slapped by Najib

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Not one slap. Not two slaps. But THREE slaps.

That was what Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin received at 3.15 pm when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced the line-up of ministers and deputy ministers.

1. Slap One: Khairy Jamaluddin had been frozen out. He did not get any cabinet post despite being elected as the UMNO Youth Chief.
   
   
2. Slap Two: Mukhriz Mahathir, who polled third in the Umno Youth contest, was appointed deputy minister in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
   
   
3. Slap Three: Razali Ibrahim, Khairy’s deputy in Umno Youth, was appointed deputy minister of Youth and Sports.

For Khairy’s supporters, today’s announcement confirms two facts:

• there is an attempt to send him into political oblivion and
  
  
• Mahathir Mohamad exerted considerable influence in the composition of the Cabinet.

Even since Khairy defeated his son (some say the former prime minister took the defeat personally because it was almost as if Khairy defeated him) in the Umno polls, Dr Mahathir has been pushing for the omission of Abdullah’s son-in-law from the Cabinet.

Najib Scared of Mahathir as an Enemy

His rationale: since Khairy was warned for money politics by the Umno disciplinary board, he was a corrupt politician. His inclusion in the Najib administration would infect the whole government.


UMNO's Center of Universe:
Mahathir Mohamad

The Najib camp worried about making an enemy of Dr Mahathir agreed with his reasoning, noting that they could not carry someone with baggage.

But Khairy’s supporters in Umno Youth found this argument curious because many of the members of the administration are carrying some baggage, including the PM.

Najib's Double Standards

Also, they pointed out that double standards appear to be at play here.

Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ali Rustam was allowed to keep his position as chief executive of the state despite being found guilty of money politics and barred from contesting the party polls.

“This is a move to sideline Khairy and hope that his political career ends," said a senior Umno youth official.

He said that any Umno office bearer WITHOUT any government position is automatically disadvantaged because the person will not have a platform to travel around the country, logistical support or the ability to dish out patronage.

Mahathir Keeps Haunting Abdullah Badawi and Khairy by Pressuring Najib

Dr Mahathir has had a major beef with Khairy since identifying him as the power behind Abdullah and the one person who influenced him to undo some of the former prime minister’s pet policies and projects.

After successfully forcing Abdullah to cut short his two-year transition plan, he turned his sights on Khairy.

He appears well on the way to ending the political career of the youth chief and ensuring that at least someone from his blood line stays politically relevant.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir denied that he lobbied Najib to appoint Mukhriz as a deputy minister, saying that he had never campaigned for any of his sons.

Those Who Lost Favour of Najib/Mahathir

The loyalists to Abdullah Abdullah Badawi were dropped,

• Rural Affairs Minister Muhammad Muhammad Taib,
• Tourism Minister Azalina Othman and
• Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

Others out are:

• Ong Ka Chuan (Housing and Local Government)
• Amirshah A Aziz (Minister in the PM's Department),
• Mohd Zin Mohamed (Works) and
• Zulhasnan Rafique (Federal Territories).

Shahrir Samad who had tendered his resignation as domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, is not in the line-up.

FULL LIST OF NAJIB'S CABINET

Prime Minister

Najib Abdul Razak (Umno)

Deputy Prime Minister

Muhyiddin Yassin (Umno)

Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department

Koh Tsu Koon - Unity Affairs & Performance Management (Gerakan) - a March 8 Election Reject

Nazri Abdul Aziz - Minister in charge of Law and Parliament (Umno)

Nor Mohamed Yaakop - Economic Planning Unit (Umno)

Major Gen Jamil Khir Baharom - Islamic Affairs (Umno)

Deputies
Liew Vui Keong (LDP)
Mashitah Ibrahim (senator, Umno)
SK Devamany (MIC)
Ahmad Maslan (Umno)
T Murugiah (senator, PPP)

Finance Ministry

Najib Abdul Razak (1) (Umno)
Ahmad Husni Hanadzlan (2) (Umno)

Deputies
Chor Chee Heong (MCA)
Awang Adek Hussien (senator, Umno)

Education Ministry

Muhyiddin Yassin (Umno)

Deputies
Wee Ka Siong (MCA)
Puad Zarkashi (Umno)

Transport Ministry

Ong Tee Keat (MCA)

Deputies
Abdul Rahim Bakri (Umno)
Robert Lau Hoi Chew (Supp-Sarawak)

Agricultural Development and Commodities

Bernard Dompok (Upko-Sabah)

Deputy
Hamzah Zainuddin (Umno)

Home Affairs

Hishammuddin Hussien (Umno)

Deputies
Abu Seman Yusop (Umno)
Jelaing Mersat (SPDP-Sarawak)

Information, Communication, Arts and Culture

Rais Yatim (Umno)

Deputies
Joseph Salang Gandum (PRS-Sarawak)
Heng Seai Kie (senator, MCA)

Energy, Green Technology and Water

Peter Chin Fah Kui (Supp-Sarawak)

Deputy
Noriah Kasnon (Umno)

Rural Development and Territories

Shafie Apdal (Umno)

Deputies
Hassan Malek (Umno)
Joseph Entulu Belaun (PRS-Sarawak)

Higher Education

Khaled Nordin (Umno)

Deputies
Hou Kok Chung (MCA)
Saifuddin Abdullah (Umno)

International Trade and Industry

Mustapa Mohamad (Umno)

Deputies
Mukhriz Mahathir (Umno)
Jacob Dungau Sagan (SPDP-Sarawak)

Science, Technology and Innovation

Dr Maximus Ongkili (PBS-Sabah)

Deputy
Fadillah Yusof (PPB-Sarawak)


Natural Resources and Environment
Douglas Uggah Embas (PPB-Sarawak)

Deputy
Joseph Kurup (PBRS-Sabah)

Tourism

Ng Yen Yen (MCA)

Deputy
Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib (PBB-Sarawak)

Agriculture

Noh Omar (Umno)

Deputies
Johari Baharom (Umno)
Rohani Abdul Karim (PBB-Sarawak)

Defence

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Umno)

Deputy
Abdul Latif Ahmad (Umno)

Works

Shaziman Abu Mansor (Umno)

Deputy
Yong Khoon Seng (Supp-Sarawak)

Health

Liow Tiong Lai (MCA)

Deputy
Rosnah Rashid Shilin (Umno)

Youth and Sports

Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Umno)

Deputies
Razali Ibrahim (Umno)
Wee Jeck Seng (MCA)

Human Resource

Dr S Subramaniam (MIC)

Deputy
Maznah Mazlan (Umno)

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs

Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Umno)

Deputy
Tan Lian Hoe (Gerakan)

Housing and Local Government

Kong Cho Ha (MCA)

Deputy
Lajim Ukin (Umno)

Women, Family and Society Development

Sharizat Abdul Jalil ( Umno) - a March 8 Election Reject

Deputy
Chew Mei Fun (MCA) - a March 8 Election Reject

Foreign Affairs

Anifah Aman (Umno)

Deputies
A Kohilan Pillay (senator, Gerakan),
Lee Chee Leong (senator, MCA)

Federal Territories

Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin (Umno)

Deputy
M Saravanan (MIC)