Published October 21, 2008

Way cleared for Najib to run for top Umno post

He gets 64 party nominations, 6 more than required; rival Razaleigh gets none

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(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has secured enough endorsements to run for election as the ruling party's next president, according to an official count yesterday, moving him closer to succeeding the country's unpopular leader.

Succeeding PM: Mr Abdullah (left) with Mr Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor. Yesterday's party nomination for president's election has moved Mr Najib closer to succeeding Mr Abdullah as prime minister

Sixty-four branches of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) party have nominated Mr Najib to become the party's next president, surpassing the minimum 58 endorsements required for a candidate.

Mr Najib is widely expected to win the post unopposed in the party's elections for top office-bearers in March because his sole challenger - Razaleigh Hamzah, a veteran lawmaker - has received no nominations so far.

'Najib will win, definitely,' said Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a political science lecturer at the National University of Malaysia. 'I would be very surprised if (Razaleigh) could get more than five nominations.'

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced earlier this month that he would not defend his presidency of the party amid intense demands for his resignation.

Support for Mr Abdullah has slumped since he led the governing coalition to disastrous losses in March general elections.

Mr Razaleigh's aide, John Pang, said Mr Razaleigh was still not quitting the contest. Another 127 party branches will announce their nominations over the next three weeks.

'Razaleigh is offering himself . . . to provide a leadership alternative,' Mr Pang said. 'He has proposed to democratise the party and rid it of corruption. Let's see if his offer is taken up.'

Mr Abdullah says he will hand power to Mr Najib if he becomes the ruling party president in March. Every prime minister since independence in 1957 has been the head of the Malay party, which spearheads the 13-party governing coalition.

Political uncertainty remains high because Mr Najib is facing opposition accusations of abuse of power. Also, many prominent politicians are vying for other senior party posts, which are a stepping stone to high-level government positions.

The most recent of the accusations involves the purchase of military helicopters while Mr Najib was defence minister. Critics have suggested there was some irregularity regarding their price - a claim denied by Mr Najib.

'The biggest threat to Najib is definitely those allegations,' said political scientist Mohammad Agus. 'The game is not over yet.'

The government's popularity has plummeted amid racial disputes, a weak economy and corruption claims. It returned to power with only a simple parliamentary majority in March and has since been rattled by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's threats to seize power through defections.

Meanwhile, a veteran leader of Umno said yesterday he had been asked to pay for votes in an upcoming contest for top posts, and warned that money politics would destroy the organisation.

Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said 'the majority' of Umno members were more interested in making money out of the election than in voting for the right person.

'The majority of Umno people want to look for money and not for good leaders,' said Mr Rais, a member of Umno's decision-making committee who is vying for the vice-presidency.

'We have been approached under the cloak of assistance and cloak of contribution. (But) I'm not a player so you don't see my marks going up very high. If you want to be a good player, you have to say yes (to vote-buying),' he told reporters.

Mr Rais, who has been with Umno for over 33 years, said the problem of money politics within the ruling party should be eradicated or it 'will surely kill the party'.

Unmo, which has ruled Malaysia since independence, is holding meetings to nominate candidates for party posts after suffering major losses in polls this year. It will hold party elections next March.

'If Umno cannot curb this practice, Umno's future is done for because this has been (talked about) for the past two decades and it has not been curbed,' Mr Rais said.

In July, Umno asked the country's anti-corruption agency to help it battle vote-buying ahead of the heated battle for top leadership positions in the party.

Mr Rais has only garnered five nominations of the 19 needed to contest in the party polls. -- AP, AFP