KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — In sports jargon, it is called clock mismanagement, staying on the field even after it is obvious that playing skills that once thrilled millions have diminished.
In politics, it is called overstaying your welcome, holding on to the position even when it is obvious that the aura and power that once captivated millions are missing.
By deciding to leave office a few days after Umno elects a new president, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is showing that he knows the difference between a send-off and a push-out.
Ever since he announced in October last year that he would not defend his position as party president and that he would step down as prime minister after the annual assembly in March this year, there has been speculation that he planned to stay on as the chief executive of the country for a couple of months.
Some of his supporters argued that this option was open to him because the Federal Constitution does not state that the party president of Umno must be the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
As long as the man in the top job had the support of the majority of the national legislature, he had a right to dictate the national policy of Malaysia, they noted.
That’s the legal argument.
As the political crisis in Perak showed, winning the legal battle sometimes does not settle the big question of legitimacy and public acceptance.
The individual or leader in power must show that he has the support and respect of his political party and his constituents.
He must also have a genuine plan of action and must not be seen to be occupying a position merely because there were constitutional loopholes which allowed him to do so.
There are several groups of Malaysians who want Abdullah to stay on as prime minister beyond March. They are:
• Opposition politicians. They do not want Abdullah to relinquish his position because they know that supporters of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will revolt if their man is denied the top job. The result: a major split in Umno, which will have severe consequences for a weakened Barisan Nasional.
In the eyes of some Pakatan Rakyat politicians, Abdullah is less likely to use the sledgehammer approach in dealing with the Opposition, in contrast to Najib who they believe will use the whole arsenal of weapons at his disposal to knock Pakatan Rakyat into submission.
This could explain why Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has been urging Abdullah to stay on as prime minister.
They know that he could be their most useful weapon in unsettling Umno and BN.
• His supporters. Abdullah’s retirement will mean the loss of a benefactor for his corporate friends and supporters in Umno, especially those who are contesting positions at the party elections.
• Malaysians who believe that despite his weak leadership, Abdullah is the most principled leader in Umno and should be given the opportunity to complete the second term in office.
To his credit, Abdullah is not operating under any illusion that he is wanted by all. A survey by Merdeka Centre showed that he had an approval rating of 46 per cent among Malaysians, exactly half the support he enjoyed in March 2004. He knows that he had a historic opportunity to effect change in Malaysia but squandered that chance — for good.
Staying on for another few months or a year or two would not have changed the perception many Malaysians have of him — nice man, gentleman, decent chap but did not have the strong spine needed to reform Umno or Malaysia.
More importantly, Abdullah knows that after March 28, he will not have the mandate of the people whose opinion and affection he values most — Umno members.
Staying on as prime minister without the franking of his own party would have been an act of betrayal for a politician who — to his own detriment — put his party above all else, including national interest.
In October, he was forced to terminate his two-year transition plan because he had lost the Umno rank and file.
No amount of campaigning from the sidelines is going to persuade him that he has one last hurrah left in him. No amount of legal arguments can persuade him that he can still remain in office after March.
Not when the only people who really mattered to him have already given him the exit cue.
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