Isa Samad: Phoenix rising from the ashes?

Only Umno can lose Bagan Pinang, they say. In other words, the party can only be beaten by itself - by intrigue, infighting, internal sabotage. But not by the opposition.

Malaysian Mirror

Old politicians never die, they just fade away. Nope, this won’t apply for Isa Abdul Samad, the man chosen by Umno to represent it in a crucial by-election despite a glaring corruption and vote-buying record.

A phoenix rising from the ashes.Yup, this is could be more appropriate. Not only is the 60-year former Negeri Sembilan mentri besar poised to snap his party’s losing streak, many believe he is en-route to his old post – the chief ministership of the state of nine.

No wonder, there has been so much bickering over his selection.

Not only does it pave the way for him to rebuild his power-base at the party, as part of zero-sum game, it would require someone else to be displaced.

And that would have to be his successor Mohamad Hasan, the current mentri besar.

But the wily Isa has been careful not to get dragged into the speculation, neatly sidestepping the issue of the No. 1 post in the state.

“I only want to serve my kampung people. I have been in politic for more than 20 years and this is the first time that I will be contesting in my own place. I believe they choose me as their leader,” Isa told the press on Saturday.

Ambitious still

Yet his words and his confidence in himself belie his ambition.

“I believe that I can win because I have the experience. I know Negeri Sembilan and I believe that I can help in solve the problems being faced by the people,” he said.

For someone who was mentri besar for 22 years from April 1982 to March 2004, it won’t be easy to stay content minding a constituency of just 13,664 voters.

Indeed, his caliber as a politician well-versed with national issues has started to show as campaigning for the state seat kicks off in earnest.

“I will use both defensive and offensive strategies,” said Isa.

“Although the opposition is always saying there is no problem at their side of the fence, everyone knows it is not that rosy there. Just look at all the states that are under their governance, and you will understand why I say this.

“They have many unsettled issues among themselves. They are also unable to deliver their promises that they made during the general election. I hope the people will not be lulled by those who do not practice what they preach.”

Only Umno lose Bagan Pinang

Balloting won’t take place until next Sunday Oct 11 and his rival from PAS Zulkefly Omar could well spring a giant-beating feat.

But it is not expected by pundits.

Only Umno can lose Bagan Pinang, they say. In other words, the party can only be beaten by itself - by intrigue, infighting, internal sabotage. But not by the opposition.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Hasan has rubbished the talk, pledging his full support for the diminutive Isa. But already the rumour mills are running on over-time.

The latest scandal is a letter bearing the official letterhead of Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan. Circulated widely and in cyberspace as well, the bombshell it contained was that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the head of Umno, had wanted Isa to be picked.

As such, the nominees recommended by Mohamad Hasan’s committee were binned - an omen of what's to come. Tengku Adnan has rushed to deny ever issuing such a letter but that is unlikely to stop the rumblings on the ground.

“This is a lie. It is a forgery by the opposition to try and cause disunity in Umno specifically in Bagan Pinang,” said Tengku Adnan.

Not really a local boy

The bespectacled Isa was actually born in neighbouring Malacca state. But he studied at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Bagan Pinang in Port Dickson during his early years.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Malaya, he worked as a teacher in Seremban from 1973 to 1978.

Life changed when he decided to go into active politics. He won the Linggi state seat in 1978 and never looked back, becoming the Negeri Sembilan mentri besar in 1982.

He held this powerful post until 2004, when he contested and won the Jempol parliamentary seat. For this, he was promoted to the federal cabinet as Minister of Federal Territories.

And if his cup was not filled yet, he also won one of Umno’s coveted vice-presidencies during the September 2004 party election, scoring the highest votes.

Recycled

Then suddenly almost everything went wrong for him. The sky darkened and heavy thunder clouds followed him everywhere.

He was accused of money politics and vote-buying at the Umno election. Nine charges including offering food and monetary bribes to delegates were preferred against him.

In 2005, he was found guilty of five of these charges and sacked as vice-president. His party membership was also suspended for six years although it was later reduced to three years.

That same year, his wife Hazizah Tumin died after a long battle with cancer. They had four children Mohammed Najib, Megawati, Lelawati and Juhaida.

“Even though the opposition is saying that I am a recycled product, that doesn’t matter. It is up to the voters, the Bagan Pinang people to decide whether I am a recycled product or not,” said Isa.