FORMER Cabinet minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan has thrown his weight behind Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin if the latter decides to run for party president.

If it materialises, Khairy’s run would set a high bar for the party, said Rahman, an Umno Supreme Council member who once served with Khairy when they were both in Umno Youth.

“#KJ4President Now that’s out of the box. Totally! #UMNOMemilih2018,” Rahman Dahlan posted on Twitter.

The Star Online today speculated that Khairy, who is former youth and sports minister, would submit his application to contest for party president’s post at Umno headquarters today.

The 42-year-old has previously announced that he would run for one of the three vice-president’s posts. The report did not clarify whether Khairy had changed his mind about contesting a VP post.

Today is the last day for the candidates to submit their applications to run in the party’s elections which are expected to be the most heated in 30 years.

The June 30 polls are seen as a crucial first step towards rebuilding Umno after it lost federal power for the first time.

So far, three candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for the presidency, namely current deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and blogger Rahmat Azim Abdul Aziz. – June 17, 2018