Once again, Zahid will be the savior of the Unity Government and Malaysia.

Many civil society personalities and academics would disagree with me and still name Zahid as the “collateral” for Anwar Ibrahim.

Again, at the risk of repeating myself, these critics of Zahid only criticize and have not shown which personality can replace Zahid to ensure that Umno and BN are stout supporters of the Unity Government.

Do these critics believe that if there is a “fair election in the Umno General Assembly, this party will come out stronger, better and be a blessing for Malaysia?”

Come on-lah! Which planet have you been living in? Who would be the next Umno president if all positions can be contested? Ismail? Hishammuddin? Or Khairy?

All these people have relished working with PN under Ismail and Muhyiddin as prime minister. Is there a likelihood they would work with Anwar? There is no way that will happen.

Did Khairy say he was going to support Anwar if he became president of Umno? Is this the same Khairy who never apologized for calling the rakyat beruk-beruk and insinuated in a kurang ajar manner that Anwar main belakang? Come on-lah! Be realistic!

Many of these academics and political analysts have never been in the position of a “king” or leader in a political party. Many are just sideline commentators and pride themselves with their political analysis patterns and historical precedents.

I know enough to say I don’t know many things and being a leader of a political party or a “king” is one of them.

I do know that the first rule of a king or a leader is political survival first and idealism second or third. If idealism and principles come first, then as they say, “the good die young.”

There is no place for “good but naïve” people in this world as leaders, maybe in the “Kingdom of God” in the next bolehlah!

Right now, we are in this real world that calls for realpolitik.

Umno is in a survival mode after its defeat in the last election.

In any military organization, the purging of traitors and would-be challengers is necessary. Umno cannot rejuvenate and reinvent itself with the dissenting voices of those who have sold their souls to the rival party…PN.

Zahid has carved a winning formula by first agreeing to be in the Unity Government with Anwar, and second in putting down dissent by the ten traitors and now the art of purging the enemies from within before the next theater of war commences, the state elections.

Zahid’s next hat trick will be forging an alliance with PH-BN against the enemies of Malaysia, the extremist PN.

In any military organization, the purging of traitors and would-be challengers is necessary. Umno cannot rejuvenate and reinvent itself with the dissenting voices of those who have sold their souls to the rival party…PN.

These traitors are puppets for the puppet master Hadi Awang and Muhyiddin, no two ways about that.

How can Umno with 30 seats outplay PN with more than twice the number?

Critics will also say that by purging Umno, PN will gain the upper hand by accepting these dissenters into their midst.

Really huh? That much you know about Malays and politics?

There is no trust between robbers and thieves and so there is no trust between PN and the sacked traitors. PN is interested only in influencing the voters in the camps of the individuals.

Well, that may be so. As far as I can understand, most of the voters and Malays who support the sacked and suspended leaders do it only for money. They may yell and scream for Melayu, Islam dan Raja but in reality, yang dia mau duit saja!

Thus, not having been able to dish out projects and titles, how many would actually support these dissenters?

Take Khairy for instance, he rose with his connection as the son-in-law to the then PM and have never shown any credible leadership to support democracy or accord dignity to individuals like Anwar and Malaysians.

Beruk-beruk, remember? Yes, he seemed successful at the tail end of Covid-19 after the hard work was done by others. That was no measure at all, to me.

Now, he shouts democracy in his party when he himself helped weaken the Umno leadership.

When someone threatens the leadership of a party when that leader is strong, then that someone can be called a hero. But when one threatens the leader when the party is weak, that person is an opportunist or a traitor!

Many observers must be interested to see Hishammuddin finally being dealt his destiny. This is one quiet but lethal warlord that strives on the loudness of others while he engineers lethal poisons silently to be the next prime minister of Malaysia.

He has no vision like his grandfather, the great Onn Jaafar who stood tall against royalty, and Umno leadership to the point of setting up a party for all Malaysians.

Hishammuddin is not even a shadow of his grandfather. The only way he can be PM is through stealth and cunning relationships with enemies.

Malaysians must be smart in observing the historical events unfolding before us. Do not trust those who tout “principles” or “analysis” as if these two make up the real world.

Believe me, as an academic, I once gave a lecture that academic knowledge is the least valuable as compared to knowledge from wisdom, experience, practice, divine inspiration and spiritual awakening.

Principles and ideals are what we hold dear but implementation and their practice must be tampered with the situation of the time and the context of emerging and urgent issues.

We must trust Zahid to rebuild Umno in the image of the present leadership and that of the future to help us fight the extremist opposition that will destroy Malaysia as a nation for all.

After Malaysia is safe…then we can create a new story.

(Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at a local university and his writing reflects his own personal opinion entirely.)