KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is the best candidate for the deputy prime minister post.

Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Mohd Razlan Rafii said this was based on the hierarchy and the party’s decision.

“To fill in the post for the unity government leadership and based on the hierarchy, Zahid is the best candidate for the post.

“We leave it to the party and follow the party’s hierarchy, so the president is the best (for the post)… All parties must calm down and return to the party’s hierarchy and decisions,” he said.

Before this, Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was touted to be the best candidate for the post in the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Among those who said that Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, was the best candidate for the post were Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and Umno Youth exco Datuk Muhamad Muqharabbin Moktarrudin.

Meanwhile, Razlan said he was confident that Anwar, who is Pakatan Harapan chairman, would discuss and refer to the leadership of the component parties in the unity government for this purpose.

Asked if the election of Zahid for the post will create a polemic following an ongoing court case, Razlan said, all parties must be fair in their assessment of the matter.

“Although the president has ongoing court cases, the prime minister had said before that the president has not been convicted yet.

“PH will discuss this with the component parties, and the prime minister must be aware that there are some leaders whose cases were ‘created’ for character assassination,” he said. NST

Embattled Zahid thanks supporters for solidarity display, says to wait for Umno elections in next six months

In a Facebook post, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi thanked his supporters who staged a solidarity rally outside the Umno headquarters yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has acknowledged the hostile atmosphere towards him within his party and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

In a Facebook post, the 69-year-old thanked his supporters who staged a solidarity rally outside the Umno headquarters yesterday and said proud of their show of support as the party is sabotaged “inside and outside.”

“Insya Allah, the party election will take place less than six months from now and it is right that we wait for the time to either make changes or maintain the position of the candidate we want to be the leader of the leadership line after this.

“Leaders come and go but this Malay party should not be destroyed at all,” he posted after the solidarity show yesterday afternoon. Utusan Malaysia today reported some 300 people under an umbrella body called the Secretariat of the Association of Malay Muslim Non-Governmental Organisations gathered outside the World Trade Centre after Friday prayers.

The demonstrators called its display the “Umno Presidential Institution Solidarity Rally” in response to calls for Zahid to step down as both Umno president and BN chairman from some of his party colleagues to take responsibility for their crushing defeat in the 15th general election.

BN won only 30 seats out of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat. A counter rally was also scheduled to take place at the same time, but was subsequently cancelled. MM

NST / MALAY MAIL