News analysis

Umno emerges as main casualty of Malaysia's emergency

A clutch of ongoing corruption cases against several of its top leaders, including party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, threatens to force a major shakeup in the party leadership. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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KUALA LUMPUR - Umno, until recently the most influential partner in Malaysia's shaky Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, is slowly emerging as the major casualty following Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's move to suspend Parliament and declare a national state of emergency.

Now, party officials and former leaders fear that the latest challenges facing Umno, already racked by conflicting agendas among party warlords, factional infighting and a failure to repair its graft-tarred image, could push it into a breakup that it may never recover from.

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