Winners and losers
(The Malaysian Insider) – After the first day of the party’s assembly, here is the list of winners and losers compiled by The Malaysian Insider based on feedback and interviews.
Winners:
1. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: He maybe limping out of office but candidates aligned to him did well. Son-in-law and original member of the fourth floor, Khairy Jamaluddin, won the top position in Umno Youth while deputy chief of staff Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid won a place on Umno Youth executive council and Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil — the person he appointed to the Cabinet even after she lost her seat in Lembah Pantai — is the new Wanita Umno chief.
The only blot was the defeat of Datuk Reezal Marican, Abdullah’s political secretary. He lost the number two position in Umno Youth to Datuk Razali Ibrahim.
Losers:
1. Supporters of Datuk Seri Najib Razak: They wanted Datuk Rafidah Aziz to retain her Wanita Umno position and even penciled her for a return for the Cabinet but the view among party delegates was that change was necessary. In addition, while Najib was careful not to endorse any one of the three candidates for the Umno Youth position, his supporters were partial to Datuk Dr Khir Toyo.
2. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad: He has been trying to influence the choices of Umno delegates from the word go, warning them against supporting either Khairy or Dr Khir. And what did the delegates do? They endorsed Khairy as Youth chief, put Dr Khir in second place and relegated Mukhriz to third. Were they sending Dr Mahathir a message? No. They were just reminding all Umno leaders, past and present, that the small man on the ground often has a mind of his own. He sees through the doublespeak and hypocrisy.
3. Dr Khir: He lost the country’s most prosperous state to the opposition in Election 2008 and is now a target of a corruption and abuse of power investigation by a Pakatan Rakyat bent on opening up all the Khir Files. Last night, he left the hall early after realising that many delegates who promised their support did not deliver.
4. Mohd Zaini Mohd Said: Who? This delegate from Umno is the type of grassroots politicians who today fill up the ranks of the proud party founded by the colour-blind Onn Jaafar. He is the epitome of the narrow-minded, chauvinistic and might is right Umno member. Delivering his address yesterday, he called for Datuk Ahmad Ismail — the same gentleman who called Chinese in Malaysia squatters in the run-up to the Permatang Pauh by-election — a hero. He wanted Ahmad to be reinstated, saying that he was a true defender of Malay rights.
Then to make matters worse, he rounded on the government for “allowing’’ Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim out of prison on charges of corruption and sodomy. Obviously the doctrine of the separation of powers means little to him. And the fact that Anwar was cleared by the Federal Court even less.
