Talk of Mukhriz Mahathir as next Kedah MB gaining ground

(The Star) - As Barisan Nasional prepares to do battle in Kedah, attention is onDatuk Mukhriz Mahathir to lead the charge and wrest the state back from Pakatan Rakyat.

Talk of Mukhriz being the next Mentri Besar there gained credence when the 48-year-old Kedah Umno deputy liaison chief was tipped to contest a state seat in the coming general election. The Deputy International Trade and Industries Minister is currently the Jerlun MP.

Interest in who the Barisan candidate for MB would be has intensified as the chances of the coalition winning the state look good.

Barisan and Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansorsaid the Pakatan government had been weakened by internal conflicts and its failure to meet the people's expectations.

The schism in Kedah PAS and the state government became all too plain when executive councillors Phahrolrazi Zawawi and Dr Ismail Salleh made a public, but vain, attempt to oust Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak on grounds that his health was failing and his “uncompromising attitude”.

DAP, for its part, was unhappy with PAS over its unilateral decision to close down an illegal abattoir in Alor Setar. The Chinese community was also upset by the state government's decision to ban entertainment during the fasting month. (Following protests, the ban was confined to Muslims.)

A sore point with the public was the move to increase water tariff by up to 100% two years ago although Pakatan had promised to reduce it when wooing voters.

Tension is also brewing over the allocation of seats among the Pakatan partners. PAS, which won 16 state constituencies, insists on contesting the 23 seats that it vied for in 2008.

DAP, which won only one of the four seats it contested, is eyeing constituencies in southern Kedah, now held by PKR, which refuses to give way. PKR now has three seats after two of its assemblymen became Independents.

“The rakyat are tired of what is happening, and they realise that Barisan is still the best for bringing development and economic growth,'' Tengku Adnan said.

Although Mukhriz is the most-often mentioned, others have also been named as potential candidates, including Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and a corporate figure.

“The Prime Minister will decide based on the feedback from various sources after gauging who is most favoured by the rakyat.

“The choice of candidate could surprise everyone,” he said. “The candidate can be a new, young face. The person can be from within or outside the party. What is certain is that the candidate will have no scandals and no skeletons in the closet.

“We are aware that the youths in the state want someone energetic like Mukhriz,'' he said, adding that the older generation preferred a leader with a religious background.

He said some wanted a corporate figure because they wished to see greater development and more job opportunities.

A party insider believes Mukhriz is the best choice because he is popular among the people under the age of 50.

“We cannot ignore their preference as they make up 40% of the state's 997,000 voters,” he said.

The final decision will be left to the top leadership, the insider said, adding: “Barisan will have a better chance of winning back the state if it has the right Mentri Besar candidate.”