We are making politics a spectator sport in which our only duty is to vote somebody into office and then retire to the grandstands.
– David Gergen, ex-US presidential adviser
Umno secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Maslan is probably right when he posited that Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob felt he had already reached the peak of his career following the Bera MP’s move not to defend his position in the upcoming Umno elections.
Ahmad said that Ismail Sabri’s decision should be respected and he thanked the former prime minister for his contributions as Umno vice-president.
“That’s his choice. He made a major decision for himself. I think he no longer wants to contest; maybe, he has reached the peak of his political career as prime minister.
“He is now together with other remaining few past prime ministers,” said the Pontian MP.
Ismail Sabri is in his fifth term as the Bera MP. The 63-year-old was the prime minister between August 2021 and October 2022.
An “accidental prime minister”, so he has been called. Still, we should give him credit for carrying out his prime ministerial duties reasonably well or shall we say, to the best of his ability.
I believe that Ismail Sabri made a wise move by staying out of the Umno contest. Seriously, after having served as prime minister, what else is there to prove?
Ismail did not have to be the Umno president to be appointed prime minister. He was what one could say “the right man at the right place and at the right time”.
On record, he was the first and only Umno leader who became prime minister when he was not serving as the party president.
So, he does not have to fight like a mad man for the party presidency now in order to reach the top. He was already at the top.
At one stage, Ismail Sabri was slated to go for the president’s post but it didn’t materialise after the party decided on a no-contest for the party’s top two posts.
Even if there is a contest, there is no guarantee of victory for Ismail Sabri.
Staying out will also ensure that the warring factions in Umno will look up to him with reverence as a senior party stalwart and in time to come, as an elder statesman.
Unfortunately, there are others who are not as diplomatic as Ahmad when they commented on why Ismail Sabri decided not to defend his Umno veep’s post. In 2018, he was elected as the Umno vice-president with the most votes.
A political analyst, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, said Ismail’s decision was likely to spell the end of his career in Umno.
“His action shows that he is either not ready to fight for post, or is prepared to lose,” Azmi told a national news portal.
By opting out of the race, Ismail had indicated that he neither has confidence in himself nor in his Umno faction which is opposed to party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Perhaps Azmi is right in a way. Ismail Sabri could have little confidence in victory, so he decided to skip the contest. His faction, if indeed there is one, is not a closely knitted group as there are many overly ambitious people in the team. Expect betrayal and treachery to rear its ugly head in such a group of senior, experienced leaders.
Another political analyst, Ooi Kee Beng of Penang Institute, said Ismail Sabri appeared to have little motivation to continue his political career, having peaked when he became the accidental prime minister.
Ooi said he also suspects that Ismail Sabri has become “hugely diminished” in significance in the new political scenario following the formation of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government.
“His stepping aside, however, bodes well for younger hopefuls in Umno,” added Ooi.
This is true, of course. Already, there are seven contenders for three Umno veep posts. Incumbents Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin and Datuk Mahdzir Khaled are defending their positions.
Five others vying for the posts are Pahang Umno chief Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, former Johor Umno chief Datuk Hasni Mohammad, former Umno Youth chief Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Titiwangsa MP Datuk Johari Ghani and former supreme council member Datuk Azalina Othman Said.
These five contenders are all younger than Ismail Sabri. At least, by not contesting, he has given one of the younger leaders an opportunity to move up in the party.
Taking a back seat also means that the former PM does not need to follow in the footsteps of some of his axed colleagues who had joined or are contemplating joining another party.
Many of them are wallowing in self-pity after being suspended or sacked from Umno or are continuously finding fault with the unity government. They have to do that in order to stay relevant.
Ismail Sabri does not. He is above all these petty politics.
So wise move again, Ismail Sabri. Now, you can have more quality time with family, especially the grandchildren. What can be more joyful and meaningful that that?
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
