By Mohsin Abdullah

Although Umno leaders are downplaying the rift between the party and Bersatu in Johor, the point is tension is simmering.

Umno supreme council member Datuk Tajuddin Rahman admits that Umno, Bersatu and even PAS are "competing " in the state, but at "grassroots level," he says.

Whatever it is, Tajuddin believes problems between Umno and Bersatu can be resolved if Bersatu members join Umno.

He did not say where that will put PAS at, but as the Islamist party is already with Umno in Muafakat Nasional, I suppose PAS will not have a problem with his proposal.

Anyway, Tajuddin did not stop there. He said should Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin join Umno, Muhyiddin can remain prime minister.

I don't know if the Umno leadership (and PAS for that matter) share that view.

But as a seasoned politician, Tajuddin surely has his "motives" in saying things. As to what his "motives" are this time, your guess is as good as mine. But he said what he said at a time when some faction in Bersatu wanted the party to return to the Pakatan Harapan fold, at the very least in Johor.

Anyway to say politics is at play is a no brainer.

To Datuk A Kadir Jasin, veteran journalist and Bersatu supreme council member, there is basis in the "theory" that Muhyiddin is working on his journey back to Umno – based on his "moves" in "downgrading Bersatu to be an underdog and Umno the top dog".

Moves like allowing the Menteri Besar post in Johor which was Bersatu's during the Pakatan Harapan rule given to an Umno man when Perikatan Nasional took over. Then there are GLCs and government agencies appointments seen favorable mostly to Umno.

We are now hearing of rumors as "highlighted " by DAP's Liew Chin Tong recently.

Rumors have it that Muhyiddin, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein are trying to form a new party.

For them this could be a brilliant solution to all their problems. And as we know, there are many problems they are facing, in particular the prime minister himself. 

A quick recap. Muhyiddin is still confronted by Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Although he is the president of Bersatu, Mahathir is chairman who still yields considerable power and support. And Mahathir's son Datuk Seri Mukhriz is challenging Muhyiddin for presidency. The father-and-son threat cannot be taken lightly. Muhyiddin knows this.

For now there's some "breathing space" as the Bersatu polls have been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So with a new party there is no worry about the Bersatu elections.

For Azmin, he could dispel accusation that he had abandoned his supporters especially the non-Malays who are "stranded" in PKR. So with a new party his supporters could find a political home.

And if I may add, Azmin who holds no high post in Bersatu, could consolidate his position. Perhaps as Muhyiddin's deputy in the new party. After all, he is already seen as the de facto deputy prime minister in the Muhyiddin administration, much to the chagrin of Umno despite being an ally in Perikatan Nasional. It's no secret Umno is no big fan of Azmin.

Hishammuddin will use the new party as a platform for his faction to bring the "real" support much needed by Muhyiddin. And as I see it, this will also give Hishammuddin a reprieve of sorts considering he is not exactly in the good books of the Umno leadership.

When I asked a supreme council member of Bersatu on the possible formation of the new party, his response was just one word – "interesting". He did not want to elaborate.

However, Azlan Zainal, CEO of research outfit Ilham Center, tells me he too has heard of "talks" of the so-called formation of a new party by Muhyiddin, Azmin and Hishammuddin.

He says among others the new party would "ease" the pressure exerted by Umno and be a contingency plan to find a new footing in facing GE15.

That's politics for you.

Umno leaders are not mincing words in criticizing Muhyiddin, his administration as well as his party. They often give "reminders" that Perikatan Nasional is a "loose coalition" as if suggesting Umno's presence in it is not permanent.

In fact, Umno and PAS have always been gung ho for a snap general election which they say their Muafakat Nasional pact can win for them to rule the country. Genuine confidence or false bravado? Hard to say.

It is obvious Muhyiddin faces a dilemma in balancing to please Umno and PAS in return for support for him to continue to be prime minister.

However, at the same time Muhyiddin has himself acted to consolidate his position, like sacking people in Team Mahathir from important posts in Bersatu. He has financial aid to parliamentary constituencies held by Mahathir and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Rahman who is a Mahathir loyalist.

Politics at play again.

Then we have the one-day parliamentary sitting scheduled for May 18. 

There is a big perception that the government, in particular Muhyiddin, is worried, to put it lightly, of a no-confidence vote against him. This despite the opposition saying testing the prime minister in parliament now during these depressing times is not a priority. But Muhyiddin apparently did not want to take such "assurance" for granted. Put simply, he cant risk it. Hence, just one day for parliament.

Perception or not, in a nutshell what has been taking place is lots of political maneuvering. And what I've written here is just some if it.

"At a time when we are hit by the pandemic, politicians are strategizing to consolidate their positions as well as that of their proxies," says Azlan.

I agree. Despite the pandemic and Muhyiddin saying the rakyat are fed up with politics and want the government to work hard for them, the political game is very much being played even by people already having power. Expect more to come.

(Mohsin Abdullah is a veteran journalist and now a freelancer who writes about this, that and everything else.)