Checkmate for Zahid Hamidi?

Selamat Pagi Malaysia.

The platypus is a freak of nature. It can only be found in Australia. It is a mammal that lays eggs. Its body is covered with thick brown fur and yet It has a broad, flat tail with short, stout legs and webbed front feet well suited to its life in the water. It does not have a stomach. Does not have teeth. Nurse it's young with milk but doesn't have nipples. Only the left ovary works in a female platypus. And yet it thrives.....

The PN government reminds me of the platypus for this PN government is a political freak.

It is a coalition of political parties thrown together for one purpose and one purpose only - to do government.

It has an Umno prime minister who continues to hold power by the grace of a pact between that prime minister and the opposition Pakatan Harapan.

Umno has announced its intention to NOT work with two members of the coalition, PAS and Bersatu, in PRU15. The president of Umno is demanding an early election. The PN prime minister who is a member of Umno, says "NO". Ministers in the PN government also disagree because they want the PN government to focus on the economy and flood disaster management, not a general election. ...so they say.

The president of Umno wants a political solution to the judicial woes of that convicted felon in Kajang, the Umno Court Cluster ( that includes himself) - a political solution that can only be realized if Umno wins PRU15.

This week, Umno Top Five had instructed the Umno prime minister to discuss the dissolution of parliament as a prelude to the GE when he met with the King on Thursday.

Ismail Sabri has willfully ignored the instructions of his President.

The Umno president is not amused.

There were meetings of the Umno bigwigs until the early hours of Thursday morning to find a way to bring the erring Umno prime minister back to the straight and narrow path that Umno wanted him to tread, but, by all accounts, it was a political impasse. Long story short, the Umno president did not have his way.

As at 7am this Saturday morning, the errant Umno prime minister in the PN government, is still a crying, walking, talking, sleeping, and living member of Umno and is still prime minister of the PN government.

The momentum is with Ismail Sabri.

The Umno ministers in the PN cabinet have previously ignored instructions from Umno to leave the PN cabinet. Predictably, they will now move towards their Umno prime minister in the PN government, and again ignore the demands of their Umno President to leave the PN cabinet.

The Umno president can sack Ismail Sabri and the Umno ministers in the PN cabinet, but Umno did not choose Ismail Sabri to be prime minister. Pakatan Nasional nominated him and the Agong confirmed him. So the Umno prime minister will play hardball with Zahid on legality grounds.

Umno cannot submit another name for prime minister because they need a majority of MPs in PN to agree.

And if push comes to shove, the opposition Pakatan Harapan has done a pact with PN (not with Umno but with PN) to support Ismail Sabri against any intervention from the Umno's president to unseat him.

So check mate for Zahid Hamidi.

With the support of the PN cabinet, Ismail Sabri can govern till the end of his term in April, and he will still have another two months before PRU15 to tie up the loose ends...contracts, agreements, projects, etc.

Ismail Sabri should now work towards removing Zahid Hamidi as Umno's president and installing himself in that position. Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri can put pressure on Tok Mat to just be quiet and make like a tree. Do nothing. Say nothing.

If BN wins PRU15, three names will be submitted for Agong to decide who will he wants to be prime minister.

• Ismail Sabri

• Hishamuddin Hussein

• Khalid Nordin.

Agong will choose Hishamuddin Hussein. Hishamuddin has charm, is approachable and is close with all the Middle East royalties. And Hishmuddin is family. Hishamuddin's wife, Marsila (whose grandfather is Sultan Abu Bakar) is the cousin of the Agong's wife. Family ma.

The King has signaled his intentions to NOT agree to PRU15 at time when the rakyat would be facing the threats of massive floods dalam masa terdekat. Political expedience should not take precedence over all else...against the wishes of the King, the intent of the prime minister to focus on the wretched economy and the coming flood, and the demands of the rakyat to focus on their plight rather than the vested interest of corrupt politicians who are insisting on an immediate GE to try and resolve their judicial woes.

Enough said.