Published September 26, 2008

Umno panel tries to strike a compromise

Deal suggests postponing party polls to give PM face-saving exit

By S JAYASANKARAN
IN KUALA LUMPUR
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SPECULATION is mounting that a proposed deal hammered out by the management committee of the dominant United Malays National Organisation (Umno) on Wednesday night could see the party polls postponed to June next year - with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not taking part in them.

The compromise deal is expected to be offered to an emergency meeting of Umno's Supreme Council some time today. The Council has the power to defer the election - currently slated to be held in December - for another six months. Should it ratify the deal, its decision will be binding on all party members.

Whether it will be accepted by the members of the Supreme Council is another matter. When Mr Abdullah first tried it after the March 8 general election, the Council only met him half-way, agreeing to defer it to December instead of his original proposal for June next year.

Umno officials also said that feelings at the grassroots level were 'running high' against Mr Abdullah with many divisions, apparently, determined not to nominate him as party president, preferring, instead, his deputy Najib Razak. Indeed, even Mr Najib had previously said that Umno's leadership had to be decided by the divisions and not in a top-down manner which would seem to be the approach taken by the compromise route.



It is not even clear if Mr Abdullah's die-hard supporters will agree to such a proposal because it could be conditional on the premier stating well before the fact that he will not seek re-election. This would pave the way for Mr Najib to become Malaysia's sixth prime minister but such an admission would effectively make Mr Abdullah a lame duck.

It could also potentially kill off the political ambitions of Khairy Jamaluddin, Mr Abdullah's son-in-law who has openly announced his intention to go for the post of Umno Youth chief against Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of former premier Mahathir Mohamad. Mr Khairy is currently the deputy head of Umno Youth.

The most vitriolic opponents of the compromise plan are Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a former finance minister who wants to challenge Mr Abdullah for Umno's presidency. Both men have repeatedly accused Mr Abdullah and Mr Najib of equating the party's interests to their own and treating Umno as their own personal fiefdom.

But Dr Mahathir is no longer an Umno member, having quit in a huff three months ago over Mr Abdullah's leadership.

And, if ratified by the Supreme Council, the compromise deal could wreck Mr Razaleigh's hopes for a shot at the top because it would almost certainly cement Mr Najib's chances.