SNEAKY MOVES hamper an all-out bid to topple Najib: Dr M, Daim may find their hands tied

KUALA LUMPUR - Sneaky moves put into restrict the number of candidates going for the Umno presidency and deputy presidency are likely to result in the status quo being kept when the party holds its polls next month.

"It's a lot of rubbish going on that nobody wants to see contests for the top 2 posts. Actually there are many who would like to see Najib being challenged by some one more effective and decisive. But the problem is whoever runs for president must have a minimum experience of being a 3-term supreme council member. For deputy president, it is 2-terms," an Umno watcher toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Apparently, Prime Minister Najib Razak, the current Umno president, had rushed to table these resolutions when he took over from predecessor Abdullah Badawi in 2009.

"So who among the current crop can challenge Najib? For example, the rising star now is Khairy and everyone knows he wants to be PM before he is 40 years old but he cannot mount any challenge no matter how weak Najib's position becomes. And I can tell you, Najib is very weak especially after the fuel price hike. I think the only possibility is Muhyiddin but Muhyiddin's grassroots support has always been his weak spot.

"As for Hishamuddin, you can't expect him to challenge his own cousin. it would be easier for Hisham to sit put and inherit the post when Najib lets go later. Zahid is more aggressive but I think he knows he does not have the stature yet for the No. 1 spot. If anything, Zahid is more likely to tie up with Muhyiddin but this is provided Muhyiddin gets clear and undivided backing from Mahathir and Daim."

Serious contenders: Mukhriz, the dark horrse

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is the current deputy president at Umno, while Khairy the Youth chief. Zahid Hamidi, the Home Minister, and Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein are the two of the three elected VPs. The third is Shafie Apdal.

All three men will be challenged for their seats by party stalwarts Isa Samad, Ali Rustam and Musa Aman. It is highly likely that a 4th contestant will soon join the VP's race - Mukhriz Mahathir, the current chief minister of Kedah.

"The Umno bloggers have gone all out to paint Isa Samad and Ali Rustam as have-beens but they couldn't be more wrong. They may be corrupt and have black marks against them for money politics, but they have their grassroots support unlike Muhyiddin. Ali Rustam would still be the chief minister in Malacca if not for a massive move to oust him and Ghani Othman in Johor by powerful forces linked to Mahathir and Daim Zainuddin (the former Finance Minister)," MP for Sungei Petani Johari Abdul told Malaysia Chronicle.

"In Umno, that's the talk that Mahathir and Daim wanted to send a signal around Umno to show that if they can put out someone like Ali Rustam in his stronghold, they can easily shake Najib too. Their problem is they don't have enough presentable candidates to take on Najib. At the moment, Muhyiddin is their best bet. Mukhriz cannot team up to be Muhyiddin's No. 2 because he doesn't have 2 terms in the supreme council. These are the issues that Mahathir and Daim may be still juggling over."

Indeed, all eyes are now on Mukhriz, who is also Mahathir's youngest son.

"I have three options, so whether it is vice-president or a supreme council member, I have not decided. I have to think seriously as the contest is all about serving the party," NST reported Mukhriz as saying a day ago.

Zahid in focus

Ali Rustam and Isa Samad have both confirmed going for the VP post, so has Musa Aman. Incumbents Hishammuddin, Zahid and Shafie too have said they wished to contest.

However, their willingness to race notwithstanding, all the candidates must garner sufficient nominations to make their challenge meaningful and this would depend on the 22,000-odd Umno branches dotting the country. All eyes are now on September 28, the final day for nominations to be filed.

It is interesting to note that in the 2009 Umno poll, Zahid was asked not to contest the deputy presidency against Muhyiddin, and he complied by settling for a VP's post.

Now 60, Zahid may not be as patient as before but he has no choice but to go for the No. 2 post at best as he has not sufficient ballast to go for the presidency itself.

This is why many had put money on the Muhyiddin-Zahid combo earlier on, but their silence now signals a roadblock in getting the all-critical support from Daim and Mahathir.

Ali Rustam

As for the 64-year-old Ali Rustam, he and former Selangor Umno strongman Muhammad Muhammad Taib had challenged Muhyiddin for the deputy presidency in 2009 and at one stage, looked set to win more nominations than Muhyiddin. Sad to say, suddenly, Ali Rustam found himself charged for money politics and was suspended by the party disciplinary committee for trying to 'buy' the votes of delegates.

This time around, Ali has set himself a lower target. Whether it is because he is afraid to antagonize the power-brokers in Umno and get slapped again with charges or just biding his time before going for the top post at the next party election in 3 years time, remains a subject of much speculation within Umno circles.

"Considering I have held the post before, I may be able to contribute to the party as it is in the process of transformation. Already many have asked me about it and today I confirm to offer myself to contest the position of Vice President of Umno," Utusan reported Ali Rustam as saying.

The Umno general assembly and election will be held on October 19.

Expected to take centre stage at the debates in the Umno assembly is the recent proposal from Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim that the Umno-BN led government holds a roundtable with the Pakatan Rakyat opposition.

The aim of the roundtable, according to Anwar, would be to resolve 4 main issues plaguing the country, namely rising crime, racial and religious politicking as well as arresting the economic slowdown.

Anwar, a former Umno deputy president, had also warned that unless tough reforms took place in Umno, the party was on a down spiral and on the point of imploding due to excessive infighting and bickering for positions and power.