Who will Lady Luck smile on in Wanita Umno polls?

THE two women flashed their best smiles when they were seen together at the Umno headquarters but the body language was quite cool.

It is difficult to be genuinely friendly given that Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad and Tan Sri Shahrizat Jalil are locked in a fight for the Wanita Umno leadership which is regarded as the tightest race in the Umno polls.

The pressure is on with just days to go before the three wings of Umno vote on Saturday (March 11).

The incumbent Noraini is probably feeling rather resentful that Shahrizat, the very person who was persuaded to go for the post back in 2018, is trying to snatch back the position.

But life has become stranger than fiction in politics and Shahrizat’s comeback, or "welcome back" as she prefers it, has seen many of the senior ladies all shaken and stirred.

Noraini, at 55 and blessed with good looks, is at the perfect age - not too old or too young - to lead Wanita Umno which is basically about family and comprises working women, mothers and grandmothers.

Moreover, she has received the stamp of approval from Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Although the Umno president had dinner at the homes of both Shahrizat and Noraini, he had later declared that Noraini would easily retain the post because of her "futuristic outlook and qualifications".

When that happened, there were rumours that Ahmad Zahid had gone to Shahrizat’s house to ask her not to contest.

Yet, Noraini has been on the defensive in almost every interview she has given.

She keeps explaining that she took over the helm when Umno was the opposition and the party was short of funds.

It was like admitting that the Wanita wing had performed below par under her 5-year leadership. A leader should not be playing victim.

Shouldn’t Shahrizat be the one put on the defensive to explain her U-turn and why, at 69, she is trying to oust someone younger?

Instead, the former Wanita Umno chief has managed to revive all those glory years feelings, reminding the ladies of the days when the wing was the "tulang belakang" or backbone of Umno.

Shahrizat has presented her comeback as an endeavour to help Umno get back on its feet. She has not once commented on her rival’s track record, but she tells her audience that the women must not remain in the shadows, they must be vocal, relevant and regain their role as a force in Umno.

Her #tudungmerah tagline, referring to the iconic red tudung of the Wanita movement, has caught on.

An Umno official who was helping out in the Johor floods noticed what he called "gangs of makcik in their red tudung" arriving with food and assistance at the evacuation centre.

"The tudung merah gives them an identity and sense of belonging. They felt they were not visible under Noraini whereas Shahrizat is telling them to vote for her and people will notice you again," said the Umno official.

The women’s morale has been down after two disastrous general elections and Shahrizat is giving them hope.

A Wanita Umno figure in a west coast state said her vote will go to Noraini because she wants to move forward.

Asked if her division was planning to endorse Noraini, the Wanita Umno figure confessed that Shahrizat may make a clean sweep in the state because most of the divisions are planning to give the vote to Shahrizat.

But even the candidates themselves hesitate to claim who is ahead.

The party election works on the electoral college system where thousands of delegates will vote for candidates of their choice but each division carries one vote for each post. It is difficult to predict where the chips will fall.

Moreover, there is some sort of "gender campaign" going on.

A cabal of powerful male division chiefs are said to be campaigning for Noraini who they view as easier to work with because she is seen as "sweet and pliable".

These men may tip the scale because they will be able to assert their preference on the Wanita chiefs in their divisions.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid is still sending out mixed signals on the Wanita Umno contest.

The "meet the candidates" sessions organised by different states to introduce the election candidates to the delegates are ongoing.

It was Perak’s turn on Sunday night and when Shahrizat walked up to the table where the VIPs were having their meal to greet Ahmad Zahid, the Umno president pulled her by the hand to sit beside him.

The joke in Umno is that the men are also unsure which of the women will win. Many of them are playing safe or as some put it, "main dua kolam" (splashing in both pools).

Ahmad Zahid may have endorsed Noraini but he seems just as fine with Shahrizat.

Noraini has been quite lucky in politics. She had help from a former prime minister’s daughter to succeed Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said as Puteri Umno leader in 2004. Then she had support from Shahrizat to lead Wanita Umno.

Will Lady Luck smile on Noraini again or will she be swamped by the "tudung merah" wave?