Khairy declaring himself as the underdog, faces stiff challenge for the UMNO Youth top post. Khairy is Pak Lah's son-in-law (inset). Will Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak,vying for the UMNO top post, gives his blessing? Os he has someone else in his mind. At the moment the other candidate, Dato' Mukhriz Tun Mahathir has already received 40 nominations!
Short of 19, Khairy vows to work hard
By : Sajahan Waheed and Ili Liyana Mokhtar
Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin says at this point, he may be considered the underdog.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin said he would increase his efforts to convince the movement's members to nominate him as their new head.
Khairy said he accepted the delegates' decision made in the divisional meetings so far but believed that he still had a good chance of making it through.
"Insya'Allah (God willing), I believe that I can get the minimum nominations required to enable me to contest the post.
"There is still a long way to go as the division meetings only end next month," he said at the Puteri Umno's Hari Raya open house at the Putra World Trade Centre.
When asked why he has received fewer nominations when he was touted as the favourite candidate prior to the divisional meetings, Khairy said: "Maybe, at this point, I am considered the underdog.
"I have to step up my efforts to convince the grassroots to nominate me. I am confident of getting their support."
Of the 73 Umno Youth divisions which have concluded their meetings so far, the movement's executive council member, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, has qualified to contest the post after he obtained 40 nominations.
Khairy has secured 20 nominations while the other two possible contenders, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo and Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, have 12 and one respectively.
To contest the post, one must receive at least 39 nominations. There are a total of 191 Umno Youth divisions. (NST Online 16 October 2008)
Comment:
So UMNO Youth Deputy Head, Khairy Jamaluddin has changed strategy to further enhamced his campaign to wrestle the UMNO Youth top spot. He is no more to be seen as the favourite candidate to take over the youth chief post from Dato' Sri Hishamuddin Tun Hussain. With only 20 nominations he received so far, compared to Mukriz Tun Mahathir's 40, he said he was in no hurry to press the panic button.
Some UMNO analysts are of the opinion that Khiary's rise in politics was too dependent on his fatehr-in-law's assets in UMNO and government. Secondly, Khairy is yet to be tested. He won uncontented in the last UMNO youth poll. He ia still young and if age equals experience, he is still considered a freshie (baru setahun jagung) in UMNO politics.
However, Khiry is confident that he can get that magic number 39, enabling him to contest. He will work hard to achieve the target, presumably criss-crossing the country to garner support. What sort of "work hard" he will be doing remains to be seen. For sure, one of his ardent supporters in Mukim Gadong, the birth place of his late father, says "Now, the mukim is not a sleepy village anymore. It is alive and kicking. In no time the mukim folks would be seeing the new Al-Azhar University branch campus at the Bukit Sembilan, adjacent to the Kg. Chengkau Ulu, just a mile or so north of Pekan Kota.And probably a new KTM commuter station to replace the aging and unused one."
So, Good Luck YB!
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