Pulai chief mulls running for Umno No 2

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 - Umno Pulai chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who audaciously asked Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to quit after the March 8 electoral debacle, is joining the slowly crowding race for the party deputy presidency.

The two-term Pulai MP's advisers floated the idea with him at his family Hari Raya dinner last night in light of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Ali Rustam's declared interest in the post.

"Umno needs to consider making a generational change in leadership. I want to represent the younger generation who will succeed Najib," Nur Jazlan told The Malaysian Insider.If he does get the 39 nominations for a tilt to be the Umno No 2, the 42-year-old chartered accountant will be the youngest candidate thus far for the post that brings in tow the country's deputy premiership in a Barisan Nasional government.

Umno supreme council member and former Youth chief Zahid is 55 while vice-president Ali is 59. A candidate for the deputy job needs 20 percent of nominations from the 191 Umno divisions.

Nur Jazlan is defending his divisional post against his deputy and was said to be eyeing a supreme council seat until the two announced their intention to replace Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak who is set to take over from Abdullah next March.

Abdullah, whose June 2010 power transition plan has been shredded by the supreme council last month, is now not likely to defend his post.

The strong favourite for the deputy presidency is still vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, 61, who said he will decide after Abdullah's announcement. At least four divisions have said they will nominate Muhyiddin.

Nur Jazlan, who joined Umno in 1988 at the behest of his father - former Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat - was an Umno Youth exco member between 1996 and 2004, when he first stood in Mohamed's Pulai stronghold.

"Why not? Any Umno member can offer themselves for any post," Mohamed told The Malaysian Insider when contacted about his son's candidacy.

Nur Jazlan was tipped to be the Johor Mentri Besar earlier this year but Umno decided to keep him in his federal seat in the March 8 polls.

Umno officials expect a few more to contest the No 2 post after Abdullah's expected statement to step aside before divisional meetings begin on Oct 9.

Only Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has said he will contest the Umno presidency thus far but Najib is seen to have a better chance of winning the post and become Prime Minister.

Up to 15 are expected to contest for the three vice-presidential slots opened up by Muhyiddin and Ali's expected tussle for Najib's post.. Another vice-president Tan Sri Isa Samad was stripped off his post when he was found guilty of money politics.

Party officials also forecast some 100 candidates will vie for the 25 supreme council seats.

-TMI