KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s ruling party held elections yesterday with the son of former strongman leader Mahathir Mohamad seeking a top post that could put him on the fast-track to future national leadership.
Prime Minister Najib Razak is unopposed as president of the powerful United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), giving him more time to deliver on his cautious pledges to reform a party confronted by ebbing support after dominating Malaysia for 56 years.
But political observers say Najib’s reform plans face increasing resistance from conservatives, and that the contests for three vice presidential slots could indicate who has the upper hand.
All eyes are now on Mukhriz Mahathir, 48, a rising political star who is running for party vice president and whom analysts expect will seek to protect his conservative father’s legacy.
“(UMNO conservatives) will vote not so much for Mukhriz but for his father, whom they see as representing the sentiments of the UMNO right-wing,” said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
A win by Mukhriz could signal a tough road for Najib’s reform agenda, he said.
Mahathir, now 88 and retired, is revered by many in the Muslim Malay ethnic majority for championing their rights and overseeing rapid economic growth during his iron-fisted 1981-2003 tenure.
But he is loathed by opponents who accuse him of trampling civil rights and continuing to stir the politics of racial division after his supposed retirement.
Mukhriz, whose appointment as chief minister of Mahathir’s home state of Kedah in May boosted speculation about his future, has been much less divisive.
He has said UMNO must transform to remain relevant to voters, but is believed to remain popular with right-wingers due to his pedigree and espousing of Malay interests.
AFP
