THERE are two ways to see Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki’s narrow win in the Umno Youth chief contest.

One, it augurs well for Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the five-horse race for the presidency this week, as Asyraf is seen as a proxy of the veteran leader.

Two, presidential aspirant Khairy Jamaluddin’s ambition is suffering a setback as his nominal successor, Senator Khairul Azwan Harun, has lost, a portent that his camp is not as popular as expected in the aftermath of the May 9 polls defeat.

“The slim win by Asyraf means that the delegates want someone free from (former) Youth chief Khairy’s influence,” Universiti Malaya political analyst Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi told The Malaysian Insight.

He said Asyraf, who hails from Kelantan, highlights the strengths of Zahid and Annuar Musa, who is going for the post of deputy president.

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) political science lecturer Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said Khairul Azwan’s loss means that Khairy’s influence is not as widespread in the party as initially thought.

“One way to interpret the results of the Youth wing’s elections is to attribute it to experience. If this is the trend for the larger Umno elections, then Zahid may have a very good chance.”

Asyraf was an economics lecturer at IIUM before he became a senator in 2014. A year later, he was made a deputy minister in the Najib Razak administration, assisting then minister Jamil Khir Baharom in Islamic affairs.

In the 14th general election, Asyraf lost to PAS’ Nik Zawawi Salleh by 1,360 votes in the contest for the Pasir Puteh federal seat.

Last year, he courted controversy when he declared that atheism in Malaysia was unconstitutional, and reported to Parliament that the government had failed to get Facebook to shut down the Atheist Republic page.

Although there are no official camps in this year’s Umno elections, the Youth contest could be viewed as as a proxy war, where Asyraf was seen as being backed by Zahid, and Khairul Azwan an ally of Khairy.

The third candidate in the race for the Youth top post, Shahar Abdullah, was speculated to have the backing of former Umno president Najib.

Asyraf defeated four other candidates by securing 65 out of the 191 divisional votes. Khairul Azwan had 62, while Pahang Youth chief Shahar received 51. Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos got only two votes, and Wan Agyl Wan Hassan received none.

Last night, Shahril Sufian Hamdan, a close aide of Khairy, beat Bastien Onn for the post of deputy Youth chief. Bastien was an adviser to veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah, who is also gunning for the presidency this Saturday.

Bersatu strategist Dr Rais Husin said he feels that the Umno Youth polls results are good for the wing and party.

“Asyraf’s credentials are impeccable, though he did not raise an alarm over Najib’s indiscretions earlier. But, Asyraf and his deputy, Shahril, are a good pairing,” said the former Umno leader.

“Both have their respective strengths, and complete and complement each other.”

Rais said if Umno is to have any chance of staging a comeback from the GE14 thrashing, the party needs fresh ideas, adding that it is too close to call which candidate has the upper hand in the presidential race.

“This (change) can only come from Khairy, and it is not impossible for that to happen.”

Tunku Mohar agreed, saying while Zahid currently has the advantage, a lot can change in a week’s time.

“The votes may still swing.

“The candidates must position themselves as the better person to lead the party.” – June 25, 2018.