Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said Mahathir was seeking to unsettle Umno and strain its ties within the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government through the use of divisive rhetoric.
“Mahathir was perpetuating the ‘Malays-versus-DAP’ narrative to undermine Umno by portraying the party as weak for aligning itself with PH,” she told FMT.
On the other hand, Syaza said, the former prime minister’s son, Mukhriz, had less to lose politically and was therefore able to express his honest opinion without fear of a political backlash.
She said the stakes were higher for Mahathir, resulting in his adoption of a more cautious approach to his political manoeuvring.
Two-time former prime minister Mahathir had accused Umno of pulling out of the rally for fear the party would lose support within the unity government which depends heavily on DAP support.
Mukhriz, on the other hand, opposed the rally, saying it would send a dangerous message about the ability of convicted leaders to evade accountability for their actions.
Political tool
Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi agreed that the rally was being used as a political tool to sow discord between Umno and PH.
“Politicians who once led efforts to oust Najib in the 2018 general election are now positioning themselves as defenders of ‘Bossku’ (Najib) and Umno.
“They are now trying to champion Najib and Umno, but this could be a move to weaken both Umno and PH (by creating) a discord between them,” the political analyst told FMT.
On Monday, despite Umno’s eleventh hour withdrawal, PAS went ahead with the rally held outside the Palace of Justice as a show of support for Najib whose case was being heard by the Court of Appeal.
The former Umno president successfully secured leave to commence judicial review proceedings to compel the government to place him under house arrest according to a supplementary decree issued by former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Jan 29 last year.
Mutual respect, shared goals
Meanwhile, G Manivannan, political secretary to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim dismissed Mahathir’s claims as baseless.
In particular, he denied suggestions that DAP exerts undue influence on the unity government.
He said the unity government was founded on “mutual respect” and “shared goals”, and is built on “consensus” and “collective decision-making”.
“Umno’s decision to cancel the rally reflects its respect for constitutional processes, not fear,” said Manivannan.