The “court cluster” refers to prominent Umno leaders, including the party’s president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and former prime minister Najib Razak, who are either on trial or have been convicted on charges such as criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) associate professor Anantha Raman Govindasamy said there would be a growing demand within Umno to accept the reality that the “court cluster” politicians were not a liability.
Despite the attacks by Barisan Nasional’s opponents on the “court cluster”, it was the likes of Najib who drew the crowds in Johor, so much so that Zahid said he was “the real campaign manager” as the coalition swept to victory in Saturday’s polls.
“They are an important asset to win Putrajaya back in the next general election (GE15),” Anantha told FMT on the “court cluster”.
He said the outcome of the Johor elections would unify various factions within Umno to demand an early GE15.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said Umno’s victory in Johor had little to do with the “court cluster” per se, but Zahid and Najib’s influence.
“Umno’s grassroots don’t view Najib as part of the ‘court cluster’, it is in the back of their minds. They know he is the person who can lead Umno to victory and put the party back in control at the federal level,” he said.
However, Chin said those within the party who were not aligned with the “court cluster”, such as Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, would face a major challenge soon.
“Nothing will happen to them now. They will continue to run the federal government, but they will be sidelined after GE15,” he told FMT.
Ismail, who is also an Umno vice-president, is expected to face pressure from the party for an early general election, said Chin.
Asked whether the “court cluster” would prefer a party election now, he said it would be redundant.
“The Najib and Zahid faction would easily win a party election, but that is not their priority. The big prize is controlling the federal government again and that can only be done with GE15,” he said.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior research fellow Azmi Hassan, however, said he did not believe the “court cluster” could claim all the credit in Johor as other leaders like Ismail and Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan also played an active role.