Umno polls: A woman in the Big Boys Club

THE last to sign up for the Umno vice-president (VP) contest was Law Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, making her the first woman to knock on the door of what is known as the Big Boys Club.

And the word out there is that Azalina has a good chance of cracking the glass ceiling which has “Men Only” written all over it. It would be awesome if that happened.

Azalina has stood out from the crowd. She did a fine job as the former deputy speaker of Parliament and her legal expertise is acknowledged in her party.

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Besides, her warrior spirit is admired by many in Umno which is at its lowest point ever.

But a mini earthquake happened before the race could start with Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s shock pullout.

Zambry said he wanted to focus on his duties as Foreign Minister and will instead vie for a seat on the supreme council.

Nobody bought the excuse and the inside talk is that Zambry was asked to withdraw by “someone upstairs” who is, presumably, no less than Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

But why would Ahmad Zahid do that after giving his blessings to Zambry to contest?

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Moreover, Zambry, Azalina and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin were widely seen as the president’s handpicked VP team.

Ahmad Zahid is probably aware by now that the crowd favourite in the VP fight is Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.

Even those in Umno who are not eligible to vote in the party polls say they want Johari to be one of the three VPs.

That is the kind of impact Johari is having at the moment.

But there are only three VP spots and if Johari is a shoo-in winner, Ahmad Zahid needs to consolidate the votes and salvage two of the three seats for Mohamed Khaled and Azalina.

Sadly, Zambry ended up the sacrificial lamb.

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Johari is like the last Malay hero, the sole Umno man still standing in the Klang Valley where the party was wiped out.

“Johari was said to be eyeing the presidency but somehow managed not to step on the president’s toes,” said Datuk Wan Shihab Wan Ismail from Umno’s Bukit Bintang division.

Recently in Parliament, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim referred to Johari as a “consistent Malay champion of the people of Kampung Baru,” the urban kampung located in the Titiwangsa constituency.

“He is part of the Umno establishment, yet he is independent and able to speak his mind,” said former Kapar division chief Datuk Faizal Abdullah.

Johari also owns Media Prima, the media group which provides his political career more than adequate coverage.

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“We keep hearing that Umno is finished. But the wide open race at every level with so many jumping in to contest means members have not given up on the party.

“There is also a mood for change, to try something different. Since the delegates do not have a say on the top two posts, they want to vote in the right team so that there is balance in the party,” said Wan Shihab.

But is the VP contest already cut and sewn? Are the other VP candidates fighting a lost race?

A political aide to a Johor leader summed up the situation with his usual insight, pointing to Kedah’s Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid as the dark horse in the race.

Mahdzir, an incumbent VP, is not to be underestimated because he has the support of former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The above political aide said it is hard to read Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail’s chances but it has to be noted that he managed to get the unity government going and it is the King’s home state.

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Former Johor mentri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad is seen as riding on protest sentiments among those critical of the sacking and suspensions of key leaders.

But Hasni and Wan Rosdy, said the above political aide, are basically state leaders who lack national exposure or the political network.

Finally, there is Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican who, despite his experience and political network that goes back to his Umno Youth years, is seen as struggling on this big stage.

He had apparently jumped in after being appointed Umno’s election coordinator for the six coming state elections. He might have taken it as a sign of the president’s trust in him but Umno is not expected to do well in the state polls and Reezal Merican will end up as the scapegoat.

And Umno being Umno, the candidates have to be evaluated against their respective war chests because money is a factor in every party election.

Although there is no contest for the party’s top two posts, Ahmad Zahid is a central force in the way things are unfolding.

He is the ultimate political animal or, as Kapar’s Faizal put it: “Politics is in his blood. If Zahid had one last last dollar left to spend on either food or politics, he will use it for politics.”

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Meanwhile, a certain air of discontent hung over many of the branch meetings which took place between Feb 1 and 26.

Faizal was taken aback by what he saw and heard at some of the branch meetings in Selangor. Questions were raised about the suspension of leaders like Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the sacking of Khairy Jamaluddin whom the party grassroots view as a top-performing minister.

They wanted to know why leaders did not take responsibility for Umno’s disastrous election performance and did not see criticism of the leadership as amounting to “pengkhianatan” –treachery or betrayal of the party.

The branch leaders will be among the 150,000 delegates who will vote in the new VPs as well the next supreme council line-up on March 18. There are undercurrents to watch out for.

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