Thursday, October 2, 2008

Zahid Hamidi the dark horse?


Datuk Zahid Hamidi (pic) is contesting the deputy Umno president post. If he gets the 38 nominations* and go on to win the post, he could very well be the next Deputy Prime Minister. He is said to be the "dark horse" in the race for the number two slot in the Umno party polls. The former Umno Youth chief is said to have the endorsement of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is certain to announce soon that he is not seeking to defend his Umno president's post. It is no secret among supporters of Pak Lah that they are not backing Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin, who had openly called for Pak Lah to speed up the leadership transition period. It is not clear if Muyhiddin would contest the deputy president post. If he does, then the fight is between Zahid Hamidi and Muyhiddin. At least two division chiefs, Cheras and Titiwangsa, have reportedly endorsed Najib and Muhyiddin for the top two posts but they have yet to hold their meetings. With Zahid Hamidi's announcement, the scenario has changed sharply. The race has become tighter and the stakes even higher. While Najib is not expected to endorse any candidate for the number two post, it must be noted that Zahid had served as Najib's political secretary. The former ISA detainee was also an ally of Anwar Ibrahim. He paid a heavy political price when he backed Anwar's reformasi campaign in 1998 and it took him a long time to return to mainstream Umno politics. But the stage is now set for a showdown between Zahid and Muyhiddin.

* Under Umno quota rules, those intending to stand for party posts must get at least 30% (president), 20% (deputy president), 10% (vice-president) and 5% (Supreme Council seat) of nominations.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well seems like Zahid has turned the tables on Muhiyiddin for not standing firm with his decision to partner KU LI to go for broke. Muhiyiddin is playing too safe. Well, after looking at this latest developments, my support for DSAI is even stronger. At least he is making a clear attempt to go for the top position. The rest in BN got cita2 besar but not very firm with their stand.

How can they lead us out of this economic gloom if they can't be a strong leader??

Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...

It does not really matter if you're black or white
As long as you're a horse you can join in the race to fight
Though it's difficult to tell if your chance is bright
The main thing is still that you can exercise your right

(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 031008
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Fri. 3rd Oct. 2008.

amoker said...

Bah, waste of time.
:)
At least Muhiyiddin is not a "yes man". I would vote for Hang Jebat

Anonymous said...

The catch phrase for everything else in the world is "recycle" except for politicians with old ideas. The nation need leaders who are OUTSTANDING, INTELLIGENT, UNBLEMISHED, VISIONARY, FAIR, COURAGEOUS and HARDWORKING. Frankly I do not see anyone with this trait in the horizon. But we cannot wait for the right person to be born. So take your pick as to what are indispensible traits for our future PM. I would pick UNBLEMISHED, INTELLIGENT, COURAGEOUS and FAIR.

Robert Teh said...

Don't be surprised should Pak Lah decides to defend the UMNO Presidency - after all the hue & cry - and with Zahid Hamidi as his running mate!

This man Zahid, will continue to use Malay Supremacist issues to win his way to the top. He is dangerous to all peace-loving Malaysians.

Anonymous said...

Someone in the mold of Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew should be really good for Malaysia.