Teluk Kemang blasts Dr Mahathir: Why not Isa!
(Malaysian Mirror) – Umno chieftains in Teluk Kemang have lashed out at ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad for criticising former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Isa Abdul Samad, arguing that only the latter could shine as the party’s flag carrier in the Bagan Pinang by-election.
“I don’t see how Isa’s record can be a liability to Umno and the Barisan Nasional in the Bagan Pinang by-election,” Teluk Kemang Umno division Youth chief Mohd Faizal Ramli told the local media on Wednesday.
Isa’s star had shone for decades before he was found guilty of money politics and vote-buying in the 2004 party election. He was sacked as Umno vice-president in 2005 although he was allowed to remain as an ordinary member.
There are many in Umno, including elders such Mahathir and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who fear that his selection can only help the party win the battle but lose the war.
"Isa has already been found guilty. If Umno fields him, it means that Umno is not serious about such cases. Even if he can win there, we have to consider what the whole of Malaysia thinks of Umno," Mahathir had said last week.
Dilemma over who to field
Umno has lost in seven out of the eight by-elections since the March 2008 national polls.It is desperate to reverse the losing streak.
Bagan Pinang will be the ninth contest and analysts believe Umno has a strong chance of thumping its arch rival Pakatan Rakyat come balloting day on Oct 11.
But after the string of losses, none in Umno including current president Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak are keen to take chances, hence the dilemma over who to field.
Nomination is on Oct 3 and Umno has announced that it will name its choice on Sept 29. The state seat is part of the wider Teluk Kemang parliamentary constituency. It consists of 63 percent Malay voters, 21 percent Indian, 11 percent Chinese and 5 percent other races.
According to Mohd Faizal, delegates in the area believe Isa was the only one who could effectively unite the people in Port Dickson and deliver a much-needed victory for the BN.
'Don't stereotype Isa'
He also said the division had conducted a survey and found that the constituents in Bagan Pinang, including the non-Malays, wanted Isa.
Like MIC president S Samy Vellu, who has publicly chided Mahathir for “interfering” in the selection of the BN candidate, Mohd Faizal said the former Umno president should not stereotype Isa.
After all, Mahathir himself was sacked from the party for writing the controversial book “The Malay Dilemma”, but other leaders later gave him a chance to make a comeback, Mohd Faizal said.
“Due to strong pressure from the grassroots, the next prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak, took Mahathir back and the latter went on to become a great leader,” said the Teluk Kemang Youth chief.
