Bersih puts the brakes on Najib's GE-13 announcement, Umno infighting to erupt openly
The National Stadium in Bukit Jalil was built in 1998 to host the Commonwealth Games. It was designed for 100,000 people - capable of accommodating 87,411 seated and 20,000 standing. Located to the south of Kuala Lumpur, this multipurpose stadium has hosted many events and UMNO has chosen it to be the venue for the main event in its 13-days-long 66th anniversary celebration.
Dubbed the Night of 1 million Malays, the massive UMNO gathering will begin at 7.00 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012. Last-minute preparations are still being added to transform the ambience in the stadium to match the grand party tonight.
14 huge main tents have been erected and small portions of each can be rented by entrepreneurs at RM3,000 each, and those who have products and goods to display have been snapping up the space.
But admission itself into the UMNO celebration is free and not as some defensive UMNO officials have claimed - RM300 each. If this was true, then UMNO would only be guaranteeing zero attendance and making a mockery of its own birthday bash!
The event at Bukit Jaili will last for 3 days, with over 40 scheduled activities from games, music shows, job expo, art and craft presentation, fashion shows, silat shows, photography, forums and live talk shows being held both inside the stadium as well as in the main car park area.
'Big-splash' event drastically toned down after BERSIH 3.0
Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also the UMNO president, is keen to give this celebration a carnival-like effect and attract as many Malay folk as possible in a bid to win a 'popularity perception' game over the Bersih 3.0 rally held on April 28. The Bersih rally for free and fair polls had attracted more than 250,000 Malaysians from all walks of life, seriously denting Najib's hope of retaining the federal government at the coming general election.
But why is UMNO, usually quick to boast about its '3 million' membership, keeping so quiet about its 66th birthday bash? Two major factors pop out.
Firstly, Bersih 3.0 has demoralized UMNO, despite Najib's refusal to recognize the sheer size of the people's demand for clean elections that are not be rigged to help him win another 5-year term.
Secondly, Najib had planned to make tonight's event the highlight for UMNO members and a rallying point from which he would declare the dissolution of Parliament - finally paving the way for the country's much-awaited 13th general election or GE-13.
But now, Najib is not so sure. He may not announce the dissolution of Parliament tonight after all. Not when arch rival Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and the Pakatan Rakyat are resurgent. Not when it is clear that the 'silent majority' that Najib had always counted on to win GE-13 had spoken up at the Bersih 3.0 rally. Loudly and clearly, they told him and his BN coalition that what they want is real change and that begins with clean polls - which Najib cannot afford or risk losing the federal government to the Pakatan Rakyat.
Indeed, the number of people coming to Bukit Jalil tonight and the outcome of the carnival are unlikely to be the wild successes that Najib had craved for, although it will be painted as such by the government-controlled mainstream press. But the fact is, without pocket-money and all expenses paid for by UMNO, not many members would even bother to come at all.
Weather too is not on Najib's side. Rain may fall in the evening and so far, there has been no report on UMNO engaging its famed rain 'bomohs' or witch-doctors.
Off on another holiday
Nonetheless, given the past hype, UMNO members and the rest of the nation will still be watching out for Najib to announce the GE-13 date tonight. Some bookies have already begun accepting bets on this matter - will Najib announce it? Chances are high - he WILL NOT!
Based on the political scenario post Bersih 3.0, and the lacklustre reception to the other events that Najib's minders had organized for him including his walkabouts in several states, it is clear Najib is popular only as far as the mainstream media says he is. The reality is the attendance has been poor despite all the hype by the government-controlled media.
What will happen this weekend - starting from tonight till the big UMNO bash ends on Sunday? Actually, nothing much! Not only will Najib U-turn from announcing GE-13 tonight, he won't even be around to officially close the event on Sunday!
That's right, as he has done in the past when the going got tough, Najib - the UMNO president - will scoot off for a week-long holiday, leaving his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin to clean up the rubbish, both literally and metaphorically.
Open challenge to break out in UMNO against Najib
The latest rumor being spread by the Najib camp is that he will announce the GE-13 date when he comes back from his break. GE-13, once strongly hinted by his camp to be held in May-June, is now apparently in July.
But when that date approaches, some pundits are betting Najib will find a new excuse to delay again. Others, however, think Najib will have no choice but to opt for July at the latest.
"For Pakatan, we hold onto the view of a June GE-13. Najib's grand plan of announcing it tonight in a very showy way may have been spoiled by Bersih 3.0, but basically a late June or July GE is still possible," PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
"For Najib, I don't think there is any other viable option. If he delays further than July, then the internal challenge in UMNO against him will break out into the open. It is not a secret that almost all the Mentri Besars (chief ministers) think poorly of his leadership and they want him out especially if he tries to have the UMNO party election before the country's general election. Delay will also bolster the case for the liberals against both Najib and the Mahathir Mohamad faction. It is interesting to watch the liberals in UMNO gaining ground after the recent string of fiascos."