Sunday February 4, 2007
Annuar keeps his cool ByJOCELINE TAN DATUK Seri Annuar Musa, the Kelantan politician known for his macho style, has really mellowed over the years. On Wednesday, when asked about speculation that he had been told to quit his post as Kelantan Umno chief, he merely smiled, shook his head, leaned back in the chair and denied any such development. In the old days, he would have done a Gunung Merapi that is, blown his top, banged the table and erupted into a torrent of rhetoric. The sole hint of his exasperation with the query was the rather weary way he massaged his neck as he issued the denial. Another reason for his cool demeanour is that it was probably not the first time he was hearing it. For a couple of months now, talk has been rife in Kelantan political circles that Annuar is about to be replaced by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin as the state Umno head honcho. Dr Awang Adek is currently the No. 2 in Kelantan Umno. That speculation has naturally made Dr Awang Adek feel rather awkward and he has strenuously denied that he is interested in the post, much less angling for it. "Please believe me, I am not eyeing the post," he said. Annuar's problem began shortly after he left for his umrah last November. His absence led to talk that he was preparing to be phased out. Around that time, Siasah, a weekly paper with strong ties to PAS and edited by established political writer Sayuti Omar, published a sensational front-page story saying that Annuar would be dropped from the Kelantan Umno leadership. Among the reasons cited in the article were that Annuar does not enjoy the full support of the top Umno leadership and that he had failed to deliver in the Pengkalan Pasir by-election in 2005. The article also dwelled on the skeletons in Annuar's cupboard, namely rumours about his wealth and affairs. A fortnight ago, Siasah came up with another similar story, sparking off a fresh round of speculation. "When I read about it the second time, I quickly SMS-ed Annuar to ask him to be careful because they are really out for him. He told me it was blackmail politics," said Datuk Rozali Isohak, a veteran figure in Kelantan Umno. It is clear that Annuar is the target of a PAS-linked attempt to discredit him and his party. PAS has been using seemingly "neutral" publications to carry out party propaganda since such allegations would have been less effective among ordinary people had they been published in Harakah, the PAS propaganda organ. Another Malay weekly Wasilah, which went on sale in Kelantan last month, is also believed to have links with PAS and is likely to be used for the same purpose. And the mastermind behind all this is said to be PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa, the man touted as the next Mentri Besar after Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat. Husam is also the brains behind tvpas.com, the party's Internet TV that is aimed at airing alternative news. But so far, it has been as conventional as RTM. Convenient target The propaganda war has begun in what appears to be a concerted PAS offensive to hold on to power in Kelantan. "PAS is very serious about staying in power," said a Kelantan professional close to PAS. Annuar has always been a convenient target for PAS because of his long and colourful history in Kelantan politics. He has accumulated a lot of political baggage which PAS politicians have used to great advantage. "He has taken PAS by the horns, that's why they don't like him. They feel threatened by him and they are trying to finish him off," said long-time friend and Ketereh MP Datuk Alwi Che Ahmad. Alwi likes to joke that the tall and handsome Annuar attracts attention because he is like "daging manis" or sweetmeat. "I think even his blood is sweet because he attracts the mosquitoes from PAS," said Alwi. To be fair to Annuar, he has made progress since taking up the top post two years ago. For instance, he has successfully argued for Kelantan not to be sidelined in development projects in order to win hearts and votes. He also deserves some credit for the thumping allocation of RM7.9bil allocated to Kelantan under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. Despite all that political baggage, PAS politicians acknowledge that he is a force to be reckoned with because he is their equal in the game of politics as it is played in Kelantan. He is one of the few Umno politicians who can take on PAS assemblymen during State Assembly sittings. But that means he is also the favourite target because PAS assemblymen tend to zoom in on him like heat-sensing missiles. The attacks on Annuar's credibility will not stop. In fact, PAS will probably step up their campaign in the coming months and build it up to what they think will be an early general election. PAS leaders are actually itching to go to the polls despite threats to boycott the election. They believe that the wind is on their side and they badly need a stronger footing in Kelantan which they almost lost in 2004. Can Annuar hold his own or will the PAS campaign diminish him into a wounded tiger and undermine the party? He has said he is willing to step down if it could strengthen Umno in the general election. But those familiar with his style know he has no intention of quitting. He will have to step up his own role as the opposition leader in Kelantan. He is no longer just battling ageing ulama who are more concerned with the after-world than life on earth. The PAS campaign is now being run by younger professionals like Husam, who is an economist by training, and Takiyuddin Hassan, a lawyer. They understand political strategy and tactics as well as their counterparts in Umno. Umno lost Kelantan in 1990 and there have been three failed attempts to regain the state what some movie buffs had labelled Mission Impossible III. Annuar will have to work really hard and smart if he does not want to end up with MI-IV. Meanwhile, his good friend Alwi said: "My advice to Annuar is to stay cool and not get mad. This is politics and we have to get used to people saying nasty things about us. In Kelantan, we like to say that you cannot be a real fisherman if you are afraid of saltwater." //Thestar
