Umno ada pemimpin lain layak jadi PM selain Zahid, kata penganalisis

Umno's President Zahid Hamidi is considered a potential future Prime Minister after his speech at the Umno General Assembly last week, according to Khairy Jamaluddin, who also described it as a 'government-in-waiting'. Analyst Azmi Hassan from Akademi Nusantara argued that Umno, as the leading party in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, should not overlook other capable leaders and give more room to his colleagues.

He mentioned Vice President Mohamad Hasan, also known as Tok Mat, as well as Johari Ghani and Khaled Nordin as potential leaders who could take over the party's helm when the time comes. Azmi believes that giving these leaders more space can help Umno project a cleaner and stronger image, especially regarding the controversies surrounding some of its previous leaders.

Zahid, who is still awaiting full clearance in the Akalbudi Foundation case, was acquitted of 47 charges including corruption, embezzlement, and breach of trust in September 2023 and subsequently sought full acquittal. Azmi emphasized the importance of a new generation of leaders, including Khaled, to signal that Umno is not reverting to old ways by letting the corruption issues overshadow its leadership.

Last week, former UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin had suggested that Zahid could become the 'prime minister-in-waiting' following the party's presidential speech. Although BN currently holds only 30 parliamentary seats, the coalition's victory in the recent Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls has increased confidence in an Umno-led federal government.

However, Singapore Institute of International Affairs' Oh Ei Sun views the 'future prime minister' and 'waiting government' rhetoric as merely a tactic to build momentum and nothing more.