KUALA LUMPUR, 12 — Former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin today criticised calls to block any contest for the presidency and deputy presidency by his party colleagues as “madness” and an attempt to curtail democracy.
The former federal minister who was forced to swap his Rembau parliamentary seat for Sungai Buloh and lost for the first time in last November’s general election had previously hinted his ambition to run for the Umno number one or number two post.
“Stop this madness. I believe the president is a fighter and will not back down from facing a challenger,” he posted on his Instagram Story account this morning.
“There should be a contest. Do not kill democracy within Umno,” he added.
Khairy’s objection referred to calls by 126 Umno division chiefs that the party elections in May should exclude the two top posts, currently held by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan respectively.
Khairy has openly questioned Zahid’s suitability to lead Umno since the latter succeeded disgraced former prime minister after the party suffered its first general election defeat in 2018.
Zahid's faction is seemingly keen on circumventing any challenge for the presidency on the ground that a contest could break an already divided party.
Rival factions have opposed the proposal, saying Umno needs to rejuvenate by electing a new line of leadership that is seen as clean, as they blamed Umno's worst ever electoral defeat at the November general election on the corruption scandals tainting the party's top leaders.
Zahid, now a deputy prime minister in the coalition government led by his former Umno ally Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is currently on trial for dozens of graft and money laundering charges involving a foreign visa system contract when he was home minister, and a charity foundation he founded.
He continues to deny any wrongdoing.
