Prickly issue for Umno leadership

ALMOST everyone in Umno believes that Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic) is a sure-win in the party elections which have to be held this year.

The opinion is that he will hold on to the presidency no matter which big name in the party goes against him.

He has the advantage of incumbency and a big war chest. He is the Deputy Prime Minister and arguably the most incredible political animal Umno has seen in a long while.

Outwardly, Ahmad Zahid has declared that he is open to a challenge but those around him have tried to discourage a contest for the president and deputy president posts.

They are attempting to shape opinions on his behalf ahead of the party general assembly on Jan 11.

Pulai Umno chief Datuk Seri Nur Jazlan Mohamed caused a stir with his all-out defence of Ahmad Zahid while hitting out at certain individuals who are eyeing the party leadership.

Nur Jazlan labelled one would-be challenger as “someone who had sold out the party” and another as a “failed prime minister”.

The arrows were aimed at Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, two men who are watching and waiting in the wings.

But a well-placed source said the no-contest resolution is off the table after the Umno supreme council meeting on Thursday (Jan 5) night.

“I can assure you the president himself is not keen about it. He understands it is bad optics given the new political landscape out there.

“It will send the wrong signal and turn away more Malays in the state elections. Ahmad Zahid intends to respect the opinions of the delegates,” said acting Ketereh chief Datuk Seri Alwi Che Ahmad.

But those familiar with Ahmad Zahid’s modus operandi expect him to get the delegates to rise to the occasion at the Umno assembly and give the supreme council the mandate to decide.

“He is an expert at managing the crowd at these sort of gatherings,” said an aide of a former minister.

However, there are genuine concerns that the party will be split in the event of a contest.

Umno elections are often fiercer than general elections.

There is the spectre of money politics and as one Johor division chief pointed out: “Whoever tells you Umno elections are not about money is bluffing. Don’t believe it, it is all about money.”

At the same time, Malay politics has yet to fully mature to a level where the loser is able to accept the new leader. The losers have been known to go off to form his own party so that he can become the leader.

A contest at the top, said Shah Alam chief Datuk Azahri Shaari, affects every level of the party because those down the line are forced to take sides.

“It is no exaggeration. When we quarrel in Umno, the whole world will know, the dirty laundry will be there for all to see. We also have a habit of fighting all the way. After all, our party logo is the keris,” said Azhari.

Azhari said that losers quitting the party is a real fear because of the big “welcome” sign hanging over the open doors of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

“A fight for the top post can cause damage but we should uphold the party constitution on elections. Zahid should go for it. If he wins, he will have the legitimacy and strength to shape the party.

“That was also what (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) did in Parliament to get the legitimacy,” said supreme council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Chik.

The no-contest call has not gone down well with the Umno grassroots.

“The groundswell should not be ignored. The voices who want a democratic change are quite loud and they are among the 160,000 delegates who will vote in the party election,” said the above aide to a former minister.

The ground is still shaken after seeing the party hit rock bottom with only 26 seats in its worst ever electoral performance.

Members like the idea of being part of the government but not the idea of working with DAP.

The sense is that there has to be renewal if the party is ever going to recover.

Even if the two top posts are not contested, there will be intense contests at the division level where the next echelon is impatient to move up.

The danger for Ahmad Zahid is that this new echelon are Youth leaders from the era of Hishammuddin and Khairy Jamaluddin and they have a different world view.

But a greater threat lies ahead if insider gossip about Titiwangsa division chief Datuk Seri Johari Ghani is to be taken seriously.

The Titiwangsa MP and former finance minister is said to be interested in the top post.

Johari is not a typical politician. Unlike many Umno politicians whose only profession is politics, Johari is a successful and self-made businessman.

He is also the proverbial poor boy made good, having grown up in the slums of Kuala Lumpur’s Kampung Pandan to become a respected corporate figure.

He will be the sort of candidate that Malays who have abandoned Umno would be watching.

Preventing contests in Umno belongs to the Mahathir era. Modern-day leaders should dare to fight for legitimacy.

> The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own