IT is not yet a groundswell, but the mood among the Umno grassroots is unmistakable: they want wholesale change at the top.

They want Ahmad Zahidi Hamidi and Hishammuddin Hussein to make way for younger leaders, believing that as long as the older ones cling to positions of power, the party will not see reform and recovery.

Their logic is simple: Zahid and Hishammuddin were lieutenants of discredited former prime minister and party president Najib Razak. As such, how can they be trusted to improve Umno’s fortunes.

Such is the sentiment for change that some branches are pushing former finance minister and party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah for president. One branch in Terengganu has already done this.

Some want Razaleigh to team up with Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin to bring much-needed reforms to the 71-year-old party.

Despite the angst on the ground, and the call for a new slate of candidates to prepare Umno for the 15th general election, the reality is that Zahid and Hishammuddin are likely to be nominated by most branches.

The reason: the leadership structure in Umno, from the division upwards, continues to be dominated by older warlords.

These party chiefs still believe that the best way forward for Umno is for Zahid and Hishammuddin to steady the ship and hand over leadership to Khairy in the next party polls in three years’ time.

This will give Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son-in-law some time to prepare and lead Umno/Barisan Nasional into GE15. Also, realistically speaking, few Umno hands expect to regain Putrajaya in five years.

They believe that GE16 is a more realistic target for Khairy and his team.

Party insiders said they believe that by the time nominations for party positions close on June 17, Zahid and Hishammuddin will get the nod for the top two positions, and Khairy will be the clear choice for one of the three vice-presidents’ posts, with the likes of Mahdzhir Khalid, Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Abdul Rahman Dahlan trailing.

A party insider told The Malaysian Insight: “Yes, the younger members may want Khairy to lead now, but for the time being, he needs the cover provided by Zahid and Hisham, so that he can expand his influence in Umno.

“By the time the next party elections are held in three years, Khairy will be president.”

Pulai chief Nur Jazlan Mohamed said his division will go for continuity, while ‎the Tebrau division in Johor is proposing the Hishammuddin-Khairy tag team. Khairy was at one time Hishammuddin’s deputy when the latter was Youth chief.

“This is our personal preference. We want Hishammuddin to consider contesting the post of Umno president in the upcoming elections,” Tebrau chief Maulizan Bujang told Utusan Malaysia recently.

Expect other Umno branches and divisions to throw up other combinations. This is a party in disarray, and its members want someone who can guarantee a reversal of fortunes as soon as possible.

Zahid is expected to go around the country pushing the case for stability at the top. His sales pitch should include a clearly defined‎ role for Khairy, if he wants to soothe the restless rank and file. – May 29, 2018.