UMNO’S appointment of Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz to lead the party in the coming Selangor state elections is a risky move for party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, political experts said. 

They said this showed that Zahid did not have a reliable wingman in the state. 

Considering Tengku Zafrul a “newbie” to politics, they cast doubt on his ability to draw voters to support the Malay-based party, which could prove disastrous for it. 

International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said Tengku Zafrul’s appointment was questionable given that he does not exert a strong influence on the party’s grassroots.  

Zafrul’s appointment to lead Selangor’s charge probably implied that Zahid did not have a trusted lieutenant there. 

“I don’t think that he has strong grassroots support or a leadership mantle that can inspire supporters in the state,” Tunku Mohar told The Malaysian Insight.  

He, however, said that being part of the unity government at the federal level could help Umno’s chances at the polls.  

He said Umno could ride on PKR’s success in the state, but this would only work if they formed an electoral pact.  

“Since Selangor is a PKR stronghold, Umno could probably benefit from PKR’s machinery in the state if it can forge a strong electoral pact there,” the assistant professor at the Department of Political Science added.  

In previous elections, Barisan Nasional (BN)/Umno’s charge in Selangor had been led by veteran politician Noh Omar but Zahid dropped him as a candidate in the last general election (GE15). 

Following that, Noh resigned as the Selangor Umno chief, saying that he had lost confidence in Zahid. 

Noh, a six-term Tanjong Karang MP, was dropped as a candidate to make way for Tanjong Karang Wanita Umno chief Habibah Yusof, who lost at the federal polls.  

Tengku Zafrul came to prominence when he was appointed the finance minister during the Muhyiddin Yassin administration.  

He retained the position when Ismail Sabri Yaakob became the ninth prime minister, following Muhyiddin’s resignation.  

It was previously reported that Tengku Zafrul had been an Umno member since 1998. He was appointed as the Selangor BN treasurer on July 31, 2022.  

In GE15, Tengku Zafrul contested in Kuala Selangor and lost to Amanah veteran Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad by a 1,002-vote majority.  

Despite losing, Tengku Zafrul was made the international trade and industry minister in the Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government.  

Internal sabotage 

Tunku Mohar also warned that Umno would face internal sabotage, especially after many leaders who were critical of Zahid were sidelined. 

“In all elections, the dissatisfied warlords would try to sabotage their own party, with varying outcomes,” he said.  

Mazlan Ali of University Teknologi Malaysia believes that Tengku Zafrul does not have the right weightage to be able to carry Umno’s hopes. 

He also said that Tengku Zafrul’s track record was not very promising.  

“His track record previously wasn’t very good. He lost in GE15 but somehow made it as a minister. 

“Actually, Tengku Zafrul is not a big figure. He was parachuted to Kuala Selangor to contest. He is from the ‘golongan kayangan’ (elite class)”, Mazlan said. 

He, however, said that many would not openly object to Zahid’s decision because of the control the Umno president has in the party.  

“Zahid’s leadership is very dominant in Umno. Any decision that the leadership makes, usually the leaders at all levels will support.  

“So, I don’t think he will have an issue with that or probably people sabotaging but that is still open to happening,” he said.  

Despite the backing of Zahid, Mazlan still doubted Tengku Zafrul’s ability to gain support for the party in the state.  

“The concern here is if Tengku Zafrul is able to bring back the people’s support to Umno. 

“I think this is very much disputable,” he said.  

Besides announcing the appointment of Tengku Zafrul, Zahid also named five other figures who would be leading Umno’s charge in other states set to face elections. 

The five are Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan (Negri Sembilan), vice-president Mahdzir Khalid (Kedah), vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin (Terengganu), BN secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir (Kelantan), and Azalina Othman Said (Penang). – January 17, 2023.