The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and Malaysia’s perceived poor handling of the search for the aircraft have hurt the reputation and standing of Acting Transport Minister, Defense Minister and “the official groomed to become the country’s next prime minister”, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, according to a feature article published by Bloomberg.
The article places Hishamuddin in a precarious position as the one of the most visible faces of Malaysia’s efforts to locate and salvage the wreckage of Flight MH370 … and also as Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak’s heir apparent to the nation’s top job. From MH370’s disappearance on March 8, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, Hishamuddin’s been under glaring scrutiny not only at home, but around the world. The disorganisation of the investigation’s fact-finding process and its handling of the media is placed, fairly or not, on Hishamuddin’s shoulders.
The piece also delves more deeply into Hishamuddin’s political history, from his background as UMNO founder Dato Onn Jaafar’s grandson and Najib’s own cousin, to his early legal career to the milestones, positive and negative, of his tenure as a member of Malaysia’s ruling political elite. His keris-raising speech at the UMNO General Assembly in 2005, last year’s standoff in Lahad Datu against Filipino Sulu insurgents, and his recent struggle within UMNO’s supreme council elections are highlighted.
Bloomberg’s writers, Sharon Chen and Manirajan Ramasamy, contend that this is a critical juncture in Hishamuddin’s career, with popular perception of his performance in the MH370 crisis likely to make or break his future leadership prospects.
What are your thoughts on Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, his performance over the past three weeks, and what the future holds for him politically?
Bloomberg: Malaysia’s Crisis Hurts Najib Heir-Apparent as Criticism Swells
