Abdullah may seek re-election as Umno chief

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — Much to the surprise of political pundits here, embattled Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is likely to seek re-election as president of Umno — the position that carries the prime ministership.

Party officials say Abdullah, 67, made the decision at the weekend after huddling with party allies and family members including his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, the deputy chief of Umno's youth wing.

“OK, we won't get that many nominations,” an Abdullah ally told BT. “But I think we should be able to get 70 to 80 with some work.” A challenger for the presidency needs at least 58 nominations from the party's 191 divisions nationwide.

But not all Umno officials think that Abdullah can pull off re-election. At a meeting of Umno state liaison chiefs last Thursday, at least two of his loyalists — Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman and his Pahang counterpart Datuk Adnan Yaakub — told him they can no longer control their divisions, which are likely not to nominate him.

And at an Umno supreme council meeting later, at least four senior members suggested in strong language that Abdullah not seek re-election lest he be humiliated by a lack of nominations.

The meeting ended abruptly after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he would settle the leadership transition in talks with Abdullah.

The stakes are huge in a party that operates on a winner-take-all basis. If Abdullah pulls out now, many of his appointees are likely to lose their positions and influence.

The risk of humiliation for Abdullah is real, according to some party officials. Umno divisions begin nominating candidates for the December party polls on Oct 9, and as many as 20 could announce their candidates within a couple of days.

The following week could see another 50 meetings, by which time a trend would be clear. “The estimate is that the Prime Minister may get only about 40 nominations,” said an Umno official. “That is why we do not want him to seek re-election.”

Some officials are so sure Abdullah will not contest that attention within the party has begun shifting to a possible contest for the deputy presidency, now held by Najib.

According to insiders, contenders include International Trade Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Ali Rustam, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zahid Zamidi and former Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Isa Samad.

Of the four, the favourite could be Muhyiddin, who was one of the first Umno leaders to call for Abdullah's resignation. It is believed that former deputy premier Tun Musa Hitam is leading a behind-the-scenes campaign to get the Najib-Muhyiddin team endorsed unopposed.

-TMI