JOHOR POLLS | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has shut down Bersatu's apparent attempt to sow discord in Umno by suggesting that there was a plan to ditch incumbent Johor menteri besar Hasni Mohammad in favour of someone who is more loyal to the Umno president and his ally Najib Abdul Razak.
Zahid (above) reiterated his backing for Hasni to continue on as the Johor menteri besar if BN wins the Johor polls.
"Speculation that (Umno supreme council member) Mohd Puad Zarkashi will be considered as a Johor menteri besar candidate is nothing more than Bersatu's propaganda to cover up their inability to nominate their own menteri besar candidate.
"Hasni has shown excellence during his short tenure and this BN candidate is more respectable than the two menteri besar from Bersatu that came before him," Zahid said in a statement.
He added that with the Johor sultan's consent, Hasni will be BN's sole candidate for the top job in Johor.
Yesterday, Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan, citing information from Rengit, floated the idea that Puad could replace Hasni as the former is a strong supporter of Najib.
Bersatu had in the past lumped the likes of Zahid and Najib together as the “court cluster”, which they described as leaders facing graft cases and are trying to consolidate their position to escape justice.
The narrative plays on a divide within Umno between Zahid’s faction and those who feel that the “court cluster” is a liability to the party and should be rid of in the party polls at the end of this year.
Puad was the Batu Pahat MP from 2008 until his defeat in 2013.
Rengit is a state seat within the Batu Pahat parliamentary constituency.
Zahid: Bersatu wants Muhyiddin as ‘remote control’
Hitting out at Wan Saiful, Zahid noted that Bersatu had to fall back on Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin's image in the absence of a menteri besar candidate.
"Believe me that the approach of flooding Johor with the slogan of Abah Prihatin (Abah cares) will only repeat PN's failure in the Malacca polls," he said in reference to Muhyiddin's nickname.
Zahid claimed Muhyiddin's offer to serve as an economic adviser for Johor if PN wins was an attempt to become a remote control as the party didn't have a credible menteri besar candidate.
"Johor is not a state to be governed by remote control from the outside. There is no 'button' that can be pressed at will," he said.
Campaigning for the Johor polls kicked off on Feb 26. Johoreans will go to the polls on Saturday. - Mkini
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