For one, the party is more fragmented now, particularly in Kedah, and there is much bad blood between the outgoing Menteri Besar and his critics. This was evident in Mukhriz’s parting shot to Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, the leader of the mutiny against him.
Mukhriz, at the press conference announcing his resignation this morning, took a jibe at Ahmad Bashah, who will succeed him, by saying he hoped the latter would not doze off during tomorrow’s swearing-in ceremony. This was in reference to a viral video depicting Ahmad Bashah asleep during a recent palace function.
The jibe indicates that Mukhriz is not going away in peace, in full knowledge that he still has a lot of support out there.
A few days ago, his supporters had begun taking to the streets and to social media to voice out their anger over the move to oust him. They circulated photos of banners pledging their allegiance to Mukhriz and vowing to avenge him.
Since this morning, the protests on social media have taken an even shriller note. One of his many Facebook fan pages shows pictures of Kedah Umno members cutting their party membership cards and bidding goodbye to Umno and BN. Some remarked that BN will “pay the price”. Some included the ‘hancurkannajib’ hashtag in their comments.
Is this an indication that the plot against the son of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s strongest critic will backfire at the polls? Time will tell, but Umno certainly cannot breathe a sigh of relief yet.
If Umno had planned to strengthen its Kedah base with this move, it could be in for a great disappointment. The party, already plagued by so many scandals, has been fragmented further and the hatred against Najib and his administration has only increased.
One wonders what move Mukhriz’s father, Mahathir Mohamad, will make next. Some observers are already saying that he will not take this insult lying down. After all, with Mukhriz gone, there is no longer any mitigating factor in his enmity with Najib.
So, it’s time for the rest of us to get more popcorn. There may be more thrills and spills ahead.