Great idea, Mukhriz oozes sarcasm of Jamal as Umno Youth chief

PPBM deputy president says Jamal Yunos’ decision to contest for the post indicates the departure of intellectuals and professionals from Umno Youth.

KUALA LUMPUR: PPBM deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir today sarcastically applauded colourful politician Jamal Yunos’ intention to contest for the Umno Youth chief post.

“It’s a great idea. I would support it 100% if I was still in Umno,” Mukhriz, who had contested the post in 2009, told FMT at the Kuala Lumpur High Court here.

The former Kedah menteri besar, however, felt that Jamal’s decision to offer himself as a candidate also indicated the direction in which Umno Youth was heading. It showed the inability of the movement to attract intellectuals or those concerned with the country’s future, he said.

“On the other hand, PPBM is attracting intellectuals and professionals and doing so in big numbers.

“So, I suppose, there’s no one left in Umno Youth,” he said, seeming to suggest that many PPBM members had come from Umno.

On Sunday, Malay daily Sinar Harian reported that Jamal had expressed his intention to contest for the Youth post if Khairy no longer wanted it.

The Sungai Besar Umno division chief had said this would be an option, especially if there was no Parliament or state seat available for him to contest in the next general election (GE14).

While the controversial politician, notorious for his gimmicks when protesting against the Selangor government, received the backing from Umno supreme council member and Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz, the opposition was critical.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said Umno Youth must be scraping the bottom of the barrel if they were to back Jamal, adding that such a choice was also indicative of the talent pool among the party’s youth.

“If Jamal is their best bet, then Jamal is the leader they deserve. Perhaps they need someone like Jamal to mobilise their base,” he told FMT.

PKR’s Batu MP Tian Chua said Umno had become so desperate that it now depended on Jamal to save it and play the race card.

Jamal is the leader of the Red Shirts movement that organised anti-Bersih rallies for the past two years, and was instrumental in disrupting the Bersih roadshow across the country in the weeks leading up to the Bersih 5 rally on Nov 19, 2016. -FMT