On March 8, the United Malays National Organisation’s (UMNO) division leaders gathered to rally behind their embattled president, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Themed Solidarity with the UMNO President, the closed-door meeting was attended by 160 of the 191 division heads, who expressed their unequivocal support of and solidarity with the Prime Minister.

The absence of a number of key party leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir, was perhaps the more significant aspect of the meeting.

Likewise, of the 31 absent division heads, a sizeable number were from Johor, a state where Mr Muhyiddin was Chief Minister and commands substantial support. This has led some analysts to conclude that a leadership struggle is brewing in the party.

…Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman is the coordinator of the Malaysia Programme at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Nanyang Technological University.