Five to contest UMNO Deputy President post – Abdullah no more in political radar of Umno leaders


Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has still four days to go before Oct. 9 to announce his Hamlet decision of “To Do Or Not To Do” – “To Defend Or Not To Defend the Umno President (and Prime Minister’s) Post”.

However, the declaration by five Umno leaders, led by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam, of their decision or interest to contest for the Umno Deputy President’s post before it falls vacant is very eloquent testimony that Abdullah has ceased to exist in their political radar well before his Oct. 9 announcement.

Clearly, Abdullah has already been ousted from the mainstream Umno currents and relegated to the periphery of Umno politics although he is still incumbent Umno President and Prime Minister. How fast the powerful have fallen!

But will Abdullah drop a bombshell of a surprise in his “before Oct. 9” announcement – as former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad seems to think, when he said today that he does not believe that Abdullah intends to announce his departure before the start of Umno divisional meetings on Oct 9.

Mahathir said: “He likes to change his position, so as long as he does not make the announcement I will not believe it.”

The bet however is on Abdullah throwing in the towel as a result of the immense pressures by the Umno leaders for him to scuttle his mid-June 2010 power transition plan.

I believe Abdullah will have to announce his intentions by Wednesday, which is probably the last Cabinet meeting which he could preside with dignity and authority – unless he is prepared to demonstrate that he will under no circumstances be a “lameduck” Prime Minister, whether defends the post of Umno President or not.

(Speech at the 2,000-People Puchong DAP dinner at 14ms Puchong, Selangor on Sunday, 5th October 2008 at 10 pm)

  1. #1 by pulau_sibu on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:19 am

    These people have no interest in managing the country. They are only interested in securing the position and power (thus money). I don’t see if any one of them, including Najip, can be better than Abdullah (I should write ‘not as worse as Abdullah’). Abdullah may as well stay on.

  2. #2 by undergrad2 on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:29 am

    “The bet however is on Abdullah throwing in the towel …” KIT

    I’m counting on Abdullah throwing not just his towel but also his sarong and allow for a smooth and transparent transition of power.

  3. #3 by pulau_sibu on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:39 am

    Transition of power to the Pakatan Rakyat. That is what he should do. He should be remembered as Gorbachev of boleh.

  4. #4 by taiking on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:40 am

    Honestly mahatir is the smartest of the lot. Unfortunately power blinded him for he in his twenty plus years as pm used his intelligence to wreck havoc upon the country. And his greatest contribution was the promotion of croniysm above meritocracy. Now what we see still actively at work in umno is mahatir’s hallmark legacy – cronyism. In my view, none in umno today is truly of pm material or callibre.

    I agree with pulau_sibu’s view thus expressed: “I don’t see if any one of them, including Najip, can be better than Abdullah.”

  5. #5 by taiking on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:44 am

    Five to contest the second man post. That is good democracy. Should be encouraged. But democracy is unknown to umno. So it is more like a signal of fragmentation of umno. Well it is still good news. For the rest of us that is.

  6. #6 by pulau_sibu on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:51 am

    Is there also the NEP for political parties in boleh?
    The news about only one Malay to challenge Gerakan post is interesting.

    It is such a pity that Gerakan and MCA are still hanging half way between the heaven and hell. They still don’t know where to go, as if they prefer to stay in the hell.

  7. #7 by hadi on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:09 am

    Begitu lah YB KIt, macam mana busuk nya hati pemimpin UMNO yang tidak menghormati pucuk kepimpinan. Lihat lah permainan politik yang terkotor dalam sejarah. Tetapi apakah sebenarnya Pak Lah terlalu bodoh membiarkan diri nya dipermainkan. Jangan lupa. sebab kebijaksanaan beliau lah maka dia dapat menjadi Perdana Menteri. Tetapi disebabkan kebaikan beliau, pemimpin UMNO yang tamak sanggup menjadikan belau korban nafsu sarakah nereka.
    Kegagalan Pak Lah sebenarnya ialah ketiadan sokongan mereka yang dilantik nya untuk membantu beliau secara jujur. Terlalu banyak musuh dalam selimut, dari yang no.2 yang hanya berpura tanpa menunjukkan komitmen. UMNO mungkin akan hancur atau menjadi tidak releven? semua nya ditangan Pak Lah, saya yakin beliau seorang season politik dan latar belakang ugama nya akan membuat keputusan yang terbaik dan saya percaya beliau tidak gentar menghadapi sesiapa malahan sekira nya Tun Mahathir sekalipun. Saya juga percaya beliau telah tahu siapa sebenarnya musuh dan siapa sebenar nya lawan. Pak Lah akan membuka langkah silat nya, menyerang dan bertahan. Lihat lah dan syabas Pak Lah, jangan menyerah sebelum melawan. YB Kit, time to see and plenty of lessons to learn in politic, may be!!!!!!

  8. #8 by abunsui on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:12 am

    Abdullah will surely GO and launch an “EXIT CORRIDOR”. We observed from the beginning Abdullah could not STOP the Tsunami withim UMNO itself. So many “Four Eyes” meeting with Najib he failed. It seem Najib is more superior then him. What a shame.

    Some more he has been “knocked out” in latest UMNO MT Meetings including 26.9.08. What more to say other than COWARD and Less COURAGE Abdullah even though he GOT the “Power”.

    May be Abdullah need to learn from Mahathir how to SACK those not in line with his idea in UMNO. Give reason of the sacking – Sodomy, C4, may be ISA, etc.

    He still has 6 months to do that.

  9. #9 by ch on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:15 am

    Dear All,

    I think he will fight and defend his position. In order to quell the fast moving UMNO warlords and move himself back into the mainstream of UMNO politics, AAB has the time to revamp the cabinet since the election is postponed till March 2009. Those who were critical and a threat to him can be removed and placed in the periphery and mind you, AAB has the power in him to do just that. The question is whether he has the courage to do it or not.

  10. #10 by melurian on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:16 am

    i sokong aab to go ahead and fight – don’t let rakyat (esp kepala b atas with 50,000 ppl turnout in recent open house) mandate from ge 12 in vain ……

  11. #11 by pulau_sibu on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:34 am

    It looks like the prime ministers always influenced the judiciary system. Make sure N is called as witness to the Mongolian woman trial. If he has a role there, he will be gone. The challenger to Abdullah will be wiped out automatically. So is Abdullah holding N’s tail? If so, exercise his card right away.

    Abdullah should do the right thing for this Mongolian woman, without considering who is challenging him (two separate matters).

  12. #12 by Jan on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:34 am

    Frankly Abdullah won’t be missed by most Malaysians. He did not provide the leadership when it’s most needed. However we dread to think what it’s like under his successor. Najis has too many controversies surrounding him and could be just as lame duck as the present PM. He’s known as a fence sitter, one that acts only on consensus. I do not see him providing the strong leadership we so desperately need in times of global financial crisis.
    The only solution for the good of this country is to change govt.

  13. #13 by 5titlah on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:40 am

    I bet Abdullah will Not let go ! His helicopter deal have to fall thru first mah…! His soninlaw must secure a steady position mah…!

    With so much of our ringgit to play with & the power to rule us… you think they let go sooo…… easily ???

    Najib is NO better person to govern Malaysia together with the other goons ! The entire goverment have to go. Have they done much to better our lives?
    All they do now is fighting among themselves…!
    What about us…?

    They allocate millions & billions for this & that. But the poor are getting poorer still.
    Project stalled, not enough funds.
    Blaming everthing & everyone except themselves for their failure.
    Moreover it is the rakyat’s money they are abusing..!
    We have the right to know where & how our money was spent…!

    There’s NO more value & dignity in all of them. Just hanging on for their monthly pay cheque & plus plus..!

    What have they done for the rakyat so far???

    Not like PKR. The more they fight the more PKR will value the situation. They want to do & create a better Malaysia for us ! So far they have proven their worth with the PKR states…!

    Are you sure Abdullah got RM200 million from Rosmah who’s being very very silent…? If he has better check his bank account here & overseas. Or an account in another name…? He can’t hide all the cash under his bed !

    Then how much is Rosmah pocketing for themselves…??? Ever since the Bala SD she went MIA too…..!

    If there is proof in all these please show evidence as we Malaysians cannot go on like this. Being govern by the corrupters of the highest order…! The rest of the goons will follow the leader…!

  14. #14 by Bigjoe on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 9:48 am

    These are side shows really. When Muhiyiddin wins and he will, the question is what does a Najib-Muhiyiddin partnership means. If the race for DPM becomes too bruising, then the partnership will not solidify against PR but my bet is that Najib is too mediocre a talent to launch a direct attack against Muhiyiddin. Which means for PR they will likely face at least a temporary solid team of Najib-Muhiyiddin which is not to be taken lightly.

    In the end, the Najib-Muhiyiddin partnership will unravel. The issue is how PR should hasten it and deal with it. They must prepare for the long and short term effect of it.

    I think the key is the youth vote and this is where PR need to get ahead of the curve. The second generation leader of PR and DAP Youth, PR Youth and PAS Youth need to come together and show solidarity and work together. The likes of Tony Pua, Jeff Ooi, Husam Musa, Ezam Mohd Nor need to come together and show how different they are from those overage feudal lords in BN Youth…

    Show that Najib-Muhiyiddin partnership will evaporate soon and the next Federal govt will be Pakatan Rayat

  15. #15 by Mr Smith on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 10:03 am

    Five contestants for deputy will rip the party apart. The winner will end up with slightly more than 30% of the votes cast. What type of Deputy will he be? He will have no clot and weak.
    Some of these contestants are colourless politicians, fit to be ketua kampongs or district councillors.
    But my take as to why Abdullah will defend his seat. http://mrsmith2.blogspot.com/2008/09/abdullah-will-not-step-down-unless-he.html

  16. #16 by Mr Smith on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 10:04 am

    *….no clout and weak*

  17. #17 by RakishAngle on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 10:13 am

    Oh come on, on a lighter note, let Pak Lah hang on. Besides his staying in the race will be better for Pakatan Rakyat, strategically speaking. Old timers will remember that in the sixties there was a pop hit called Hang On Sloopy. Change the spelling slightly and we have a great battle cry for our much-maligned and unloved Sleepy head.

    come on Sleepy (come on, come on)
    oh come on Sleepy (come on, come on)
    oh come on Sleepy (come on, come on)
    oh come on Sleepy (come on, come on)

    well it feels so good (come on, come on)
    you know it feels so good (come on, come on)
    well shake it, shake it, shake it Sleepy (come on, come on)
    shake it, shake it, shake it yeah (come on, come on)

    hang on Sleepy, Sleepy hang on
    (yeah) (yeah) (yeah) (yeah)
    hang on Sleepy, Sleepy hang on
    (yeah) (yeah) (yeah) (yeah)
    hang on Sleepy, Sleepy hang on

    http://www.savefile.com/files/1823438

  18. #18 by waterfrontcoolie on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 10:14 am

    Unless the mind-set of the whole leadership of UMNO can change, which I doubt at the moment, the fight for the top leadership has no meaning for the nation. We gonna get the same thing , if not worse scenario for the nation.They don’t seem to be bothered that the nation is surely and steadily losing out on its competitiveness to our neighbours.
    Of course in the long run this will pave the way for PR to take over, maybe this is the will of heaven. BN has lost the Mandate to lead!! As indicated, the current crop of leaders would not lead us any way except to compete with the rule of Mugabe!!

  19. #19 by wanderer on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 10:14 am

    The wounded PM is still breathing, already, the vultures are circling above…ready to dive in for the remaining spoil.
    Abdullah should give a last kick and not allow these hungry comrades to determine his future. If he has any dignity left, he should leave on his own term. Afterall, his is still the PM, take a positive position and be respected by all or leave like a beaten chicken! The choice is in his hands.

  20. #20 by Samuel Goh Kim Eng on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 10:19 am

    Without a political crystsl ball
    Hard to predict who’ll rise or fall
    Just like people shopping in a mall
    Best offers and deals get the call

    (C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 061008
    http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
    Mon. 6th Oct. 2008.

  21. #21 by PSM on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 11:09 am

    Don’t count Pak Lah out yet! He maybe sleeping most of the time but he has proven over the years to have at least some “staying power”!
    He can’t “retire” yet. He still has to ensure the Eurocopter deal for his son & then there is his Son-in-law (God’s gift to Malaysia!) to “protect”!
    If Pak Lah goes we will have Najib (i.e. Rosmah) to contend with! Unless DSAI & the PR “take over”, RPK, Hindraf 5 & all the other “forgotten” souls in the ISA lock-ups will be “gonners”!!!!!

  22. #22 by Loh on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 11:09 am

    AAB missed his chance to do away with the quota voting system in UMNO. Now the warlords in UMNO are able to do a Ghafar-Baba on him. Had he removed the quota system, he might be seeing Ku Li in the race, and it might be a consolation if he should fight Ku LI and lose, rather than to be taken out by the good for nothing TDM breed.

    TDM could have foreseen this scenario that he voiced his objection to the quota system he himself initiated. He must have the confidence that AAB would object to whatever he had suggested, and he preempted AAB from taking such a move. AAB fell for it, as usual.

    It is no fault of AAB’s lack of intelligence that he lands himself in this situation. It is the guiding principle of his purpose for becoming PM. Had he taken this a mission to do good for the country, he would have made sure that UMNO serve the interest of the nation, and for that the office bearers should be selected from those who are dedicated to national services. For that election should be based on democratic process. AAB needn’t have to foresee the outcome to change the rule of UMNO election to what the founders wanted it to be. But AAB thought that he could manipulate the cronyism system like TDM. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t cunning enough.

    AAB should have reformed the Judiciary for the good of the nation since ascending the throne 5 years ago. But he wanted to reserve the right to manipulate it for his own benefit. But again, he failed.

    The lesson for him is that the right thought should be his guiding light in public service. It is now too late for him, at only 68 years old. He is really quite useless when he could even lose the most important office with all the power the position brought to somebody in his 80s and has no official power to go by. The worst of all, AAB was following the formula used by his opponent.

  23. #23 by Rocky on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 11:28 am

    Pak Lah will go but will UMNO change? Najib as PM, I don’t think so. Maybe the fav dinner outing will be mongolian BBQ. Just look at the candidates for deputy president….all of suspect quality. Some can’t even speak English well let alone speak about economy etc. That is how bad the quality in UMNO has become all thanks to money politics.

  24. #24 by ytshum on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 12:47 pm

    Dear Uncle Kit ,

    Is it true that Abdullah will not defend his position during next UMNO AGM as reported in Malaysia Insider :-
    http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles.php?id=10047

  25. #25 by Godfather on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 6:26 pm

    Don’t write off Badawi yet. UMNO is nothing but wayang kulit, and the recent announcements are nothing more than a fishing expedition to flush out who is alienated to whom. People like Zahid Hamidi may not even get the necessary nominations to go for No. 2, so let’s not jump the gun.

    Badawi is waiting to see who is prepared to come out openly to show their support for him, and be ready for Penang UMNO and Negeri UMNO to throw their weight behind the boss later this week.

  26. #26 by AsalUsuLMalaysia on Monday, 6 October 2008 - 8:36 pm

    IMO… its either AAB(stays) or Najis(out). Why suddenly appears 5 warlords anounce their interest to contest DPM, So whos going out?

    Should be AAB are grafting his ally maybe “Ali Rustam”, to kick Najis out as replacement or other wise(AAB exit), they had similarities, during Ali Rostam power in Melaka. The city had no debt agains the capital Goverment but today we had staggering 10Mil in debt!

    When ask regarding the nominations for DPM who jump the guns, AAB replied, “YOU wait, some of them will drop, maybe 2 or perhaps only 1 left”. smile >;)

  27. #27 by flyer168 on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 - 6:11 am

    Dear YB LKS,

    Who knows, when PM is cornered, KJ & the 4th floor boys could have another plan….the Altantunya Military intelligence report (as per one of RPK’s article) could suddenly surface….& another round of cat & mouse game could buy more time for PM….whilst at the same time “destroying” DPM’s postition/creditability including his gravy train….

    Just be patient….more revelations will be forthcoming as the Political Opportunists (Party Heroes wannabe vs PM’s Heroes wannabes!) get more “impatient & desperate”…

    The Self Destruct mechanism within BN & UMNO is already in action.

    Devine intervention works wonders !

    Meanwhile PR can remain focus & maintain their their numbers as the “morality” issue (a blessing in disguise) serves to ensure “Political Opportunists” would serve no purpose (become Trojan horse within PR).

    This is where you should moot the idea of the 3rd Front to accommodate all the “ex-BN component party members” who have left (like SAPP, etc) or plan to leave BN either enbloc or individually.

    As long as the BN majority is reduced (any which way !) – the 3rd Front/Party can later affiliate with PR without the morality issue……

    Just think for a minute…..the basic issue at hand….a young Mongolian lady visitor to Kuala Lumpur was murdered in a most “Henious & Barbaric” manner in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

    Up to this day, I am ashamed that Malaysia with all the multi million ringgit hi-tech Forensic equipment & investigations is not able to establish any concrete evidence/conclusion with that crime.

    Instead, the pepetrators of that case has brought this great nation on a “Wild Goose Chase” deviating from the basic issue into a “Political” cat & mouse charade….causing the bereaved family to suffer unnecessarily.

    What’s more, many innocent “Political” victims (in trying to defend the truth to restore Justice, Freedom of speech, etc & Equality in the system) have been harassed/intimidated/jailed by the Power-that be….

    Has anyone calculated the unnecessary waste of our Taxpayer’s ringgit in this “Political” charade ?

    What about the “Shame, our nation’s Creditability & being labelled as another Zimbabwe” internationally !

    We started with the Westminster style of Democracy, Judiciary system, Monarchy, etc in 1957 with Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra & his first cabinet until he was betrayed by the “Elite Ketetuanan” group.

    Since then we have been “Mis-led” by BN & UMNO all these years manupulating that great “Westminster style” system into the present “Gutter” Political system !

    Just who are the real “Traitors” to this great nation ?

    You be the judge !

  28. #28 by Jeffrey on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 - 7:26 am

    flyer168 speculates “Who knows, when PM is cornered, KJ & the 4th floor boys could have another plan….”

    Well if the plans and advices of KJ & the 4th floor boys have worked, would the PM have got himself in the present predicament??

    It is true that whilst leaders’ non-performance or ill-advised performance is in part due to their shortcomings of character or wisdom, a lot of it is also due to the quality of counsels of their closest advisors whom they listen to.

    There is something about the youth of advisors……

    Many young people, playing the role as advisors, are qualified, intelligent, vibrant and daring in thoughts and action but there is one major set back : they are often impatient to get on in the world, ascend the ladder fast by poushing up their patron and man in a hurry to realise vicariously their ambition and make hay while sun shines, not tempered by all round sagacity and patience coterminous with age and experience.

    It may well be speculated whether there is any co-relation betwen a politicians’ political fortunes or rather misfortunes and youth of their advisers……

    Other than Pak Lah’s problems whom many would attribute to the actions or misadvice of his young 4th floor advisors, consider – by way of contrast – his nemesis, Anwar on the opposite side of political divide.

    Talking of Anwar’s fall from grace from high pedestal of Deputy PM’s post way back, one must ask what made Tun Mahathir lose trust in, feel betrayed by Anwar and go all out to finish him politically by sosomy charges.

    It is not that TDM really was renowned for making big issue of ‘personal’ pecadiloes of his lietenants in cabinet! Anwar was his blue eye boy, he felt betrayed by what he sensed about Anwar undermining his position. Yet Anwar was all along loyal defending TDM against Ku Li’s challenge : what made Anwar change? It is widely speculated that he listened too much to the coterie of young advisors whom he lent his ear, some of whom today have deserted him and rejoined UMNO, whilst those who stuck by him advised him about a 916 Project that could not take off at the self imposed date and even embarrassed him by premature and public disclosure of overtures made to Putera Jaya which both Anwar and Pak Lah denied!

    So think about this : when one is young, one wants to push one’s patron up as fast as possible, help him make money as fast as possible for one –as an advisor- also vicariously benefits one way another from the Patron’s success: this is done heedless of the wider arc of consequences and back lash which the older and more experienced are more likely to weigh and factor in……..

    It is something leaders must think about here when choosing whom to listen to for ideas. It is not that the Young don’t contribute ideas – they do contribute “new” ideas where the “fossilised” minds of the older fail. However one cannot rely too exclusively and much on their counsel without balancing against the breath and depth of the older and more experienced.

    Ask youself how TDM could stay in power for 22 years : do you think he surrounded with young advisors – or the older and experienced farts???? :)

  29. #29 by cinaindiamelayubersatu on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 - 11:58 am

    seharusnya dolla terus memimpin bolehland sehingga pilihanraya akan datang. ini adalah kerana najib pun apa kurangnya berbanding dolla. mungkin lebih playboy sikit dari dolla. sekiranya pemimpin sekarang berniat baik untuk memimpin negara ke tahap cemerlang gemilang terbilang, sekarang sehingga pilihanraya akan datang adalah masa untuk membuktikan sesuatu yang aku tidaklah seflip flop seperti andaian ramai…..buktikan lah aku adalah pemimpin rakyat (MALAYSIA) bukan lah memimpin kamal, memimpin khairy…..ibarat kata khairy aku adalah aku sekarang bukan kerana kau dolla bapa mertua ku…..

  30. #30 by veddy.lum74 on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 - 9:32 pm

    cinaindiamelayubersatu,can i call you cimb?

    phucklah is very similar to taiwan ex-president chen swi-bian,he better not tendering his resignation,otherwise,he has to face the thorough punishment by the rakyat which failing to perform as a productive pm,and corrupt to the core too!

  31. #31 by veddy.lum74 on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 - 9:51 pm

    phucklah was very-very unhappy because according to his schedules,this 2008 is a wonderfull year for him!:
    January:sydney,new zealand,
    Feb.:hongkong,taiwan,macao,
    Mac:bangkok(still managed to skip 3 days 3 nights eventhough is GE-12!)
    April:usa,canada,
    May:bosnia,turky,egypt,iran,iraq,

    June:Bollywood,Calcata,Calcuta,sri lanka,
    July:whole of europe
    August:whole of africa,
    September:brazil,columbia,venezuela,peru,chile,argentina,
    October:Rusia and china
    November:Dubai
    December:gold coast!

    wow,how nice to become a malaysian prime minister,spending the stupid rakyat’s money like nobody business!

    but,luckily,his plans failed,he really hates anyone that prevents him from going abroad,even they are UMNO warlords!

  32. #32 by Swarnabumi on Thursday, 9 October 2008 - 4:47 pm

    On PENAN GIRLS BEING ABUSED :
    Looks like we still have remainder sleeping MPs ( or pretending to be asleep). This issue has been highlighted by STAR since 23th September 2008 and we have a MP from Baram who is not aware of it. Is he aware of his responsibility as a MP or just remembers that he is one around election time. Or is it the people of Baram selected an illiterate MP to represent them . As for GE13 they should elect somebody who could at least read and understand the local papers and can surf the internet a little. Why can these “outdated” MPs reflect that people are better educated and informed today ! Lucky for him it is Baram not Bangsar !

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