COMMENT International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed said that Dr Mahathir Mohamad was “most qualified to lead”, when he was being attacked and called ‘maha firaun’ or the Great Pharaoh.

Now that Dr Mahathir is trying to unseat Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the question arises as to who can replace Najib.

Najib had moved up to his current position without obtaining the people’s mandate. It was a natural transition after his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stepped down.

The kingmaker, Dr Mahathir, decided that Najib would be the replacement, and now, Dr Mahathir is unlikely to step back after he launched a ferocious attack against Najib.

All three Very Important Persons are from the same party. Dr Mahathir represents the Team A of Umno, while Abdullah was with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in Team B during the split in 1987.

With Team B being displaced, Najib appears to be leading an ‘offshoot’ of Team A, leaving behind only the Old Guards remaining loyal to Dr Mahathir.

Unlike Dr Mahathir’s Old Guards who had been serving the cabinet under various prime ministers, Najib’s team members are largely unknown as politicians before they were appointed to the present cabinet line-up.

This first group of ministers are those who are second generation Umno elites. They have either been born with a silver spoon in their mouths or been given the opportunity to rise due to their family background.

Both Najib and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein are cousins and the sons of two former prime ministers, while Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is the son-in-law of Abdullah.

Hishammuddn ( right in photo ) and Khairy ( left in photo ) are the most prominent of Umno ministers with at least a certain level of education, and sufficiently qualified to helm the country should Najib step down.

Although Najib is rumoured to have returned from the United Kingdom without earning his bachelor’s degree, Hishammuddin has a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics.

Khairy is an Oxford graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and subsequently completed his Master’s degree in Legal and Poltiical Theory at the University College of London. Intelligent, he represents the new Malay.

Most people would have heard of Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin, but the other ministers in Najib’s cabinet such as Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Ahmad Maslan, Nancy Shukry and Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Dr Ewon Ebin had hardly been heard off before they were appointed to their present cabinet positions.

Mahathir’s choice

According to Dr Mahathir, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin ( left ) is the “most qualified” Umno politician to replace Najib, but rumours are rife that even Muhyiddin has plans to step down instead of going for the Number One post.

Given the choice, Muhyiddin may just be a seat warmer. Besides, Muhyiddin does not have what it takes to become a full-fledged prime minister who will be able to handle international relations as well as someone like Abdullah.

The lackluster Muhyiddin has served as a minister of international trade and industry in the past and is currently also the education minister, but he is not known to be a shining star.

His level of command of English will not carry Malaysia’s image very far as a competitive nation in the global village we are living in.

The next in line is Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ( right ). On record, he, too, has made a number of blunders in the way he spoke and it is unlikely that he will be able to win the confidence of the people.

On the international scene, Zahid’s reputation has been marred by the controversial letter he wrote to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he had provided character reference for one Paul Phua Wei Seng, allegedly a gambling kingpin and a member of the 14K triad society.

Phua was arrested by the FBI at Caesar’s Palace over his illegal betting operation, but Zahid went to the extent of commending Phua for assisting the Malaysian government in matters of national security, putting the country’s reputation at stake.

As Home Minister Zahid has recently bulldozed through the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) and several amendments to the Sedition Act, which may be indicative of greater oppression under Zahid’s new regime should he rise to power which may lead to the ultimate demise of BN, not forgetting that the people have expressed their unhappiness with Dr Mahathir’s style of leadership.

Apart from those who are apparently Dr Mahathir’s choice, there are also others who suggest to put Tengku Razaleigh as the next prime minister. This is one man that Dr Mahathir will most unlikely to agree with.

Thinking out of the box

To remain relevant, perhaps it is time for the Barisan Nasional coalition to start thinking out of the box. For once, it should give others a chance to helm the nation.

There are no reasons why a bumiputra from Sabah or Sarawak should not be given a chance to be prime minister. There are not second class bumiputra citizens.

To deny them the opportunity therefore is to say that there is no one qualified or talented enough from Sabah or Sarawak to lead the nation. What does this say about the BN component parties in West Malaysia, when East Malaysians are largely the voters’ bank for the ruling coalition?

As suggested by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, let the phoenix rise from the east. There are a number of names from BN component parties in East Malaysia who deserve a mention here.

For example, Idris Jala ( right ), a corporate man who was helming the troubled national carrier MAS, and now a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. He is known for his integrity as a minister. Idris would be someone who can bring about healing on both sides of the political pendulum.

There is also Dr Maximus Ongkili, who is currently the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister. He has been in the cabinet since 2004 as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, around the same time that Zahid was made a deputy minister.

The Ongkili family is also well-known amongst Malaysians, with Dr Maximus’ brother, the late James Ongkili Sr, having served as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in 1983, and a year later, was appointed the justice minister.

These are names of two potential candidates from East Malaysia that come to mind, when the post of prime minister is vacant. Why not?

Tomorrow: Who then can be prime minister?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.