JOHOR BARU, July 4 — The Umno central leadership is expected to appoint the party’s Johor state liaison committee chief later tonight from among three potential candidates.
A party source said current state Opposition leader Datuk Hasni Mohammad, former party deputy president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein or previous party liaison chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin were being considered.
“Umno’s newly-minted party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is expected to select one of the three for the Johor liaison post after a meeting in Kuala Lumpur tonight.
“All three have vast experience in politics and administration as they have been in government before. They are also considered seasoned hands in managing the party in the state,” the source told Malay Mail.
The source said once Umno’s top leadership has named the liaison chief, work needs to be done to appoint its senior members.
“The new Umno state line-up will need to be done quickly as there are many issues that need to be looked into, including the freezing of several of its bank accounts.
“At the same time, the new line-up must also reflect and communicate to the grassroots the party president’s hopes and aspirations in light of the current challenges for Umno,” said the source, adding priority will be for the party’s state secretary and state information secretary posts.
At present, Johor Umno has seen its morale hit a low after the lynchpin party of Barisan Nasional (BN) was handed its worst defeat in its history at the recent 14th general election in May this year.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 36 seats in the 56-member state assembly, while BN took 19 and PAS one.
Hasni, who is also the Benut assemblyman and Pontian Umno division chief, is considered the party’s most senior member in Johor.
The 59-year-old politician is a three-term assemblyman and was also the former Pontian MP after winning the federal seat in the 2004 general election. Hasni was also instrumental in safeguarding Johor’s interests during the annual Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat.
Hishammuddin, on the other hand, is currently the Sembrong MP and the Umno division chief. The 56-year-old career politician was a former Cabinet minister in the previous Najib administration.
Mohamed Khaled, 59, has helmed Johor Umno since 2013. The former state mentri besar and also Cabinet minister was a major casualty in the polls after he lost the Permas state seat and Pasir Gudang federal seat.
Another source said all three have the potential to be the party’s liaison committee chief.
“However, Datuk Hasni has the advantage of also being the Johor Opposition leader and can be a good ‘check and balance’ for the state Umno.
“Don’t forget that he (Hasni) was also the former Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman under the BN-led government and understands local development issues well,” said the source.
The source added that Hishammuddin is seen as a natural appointment to lead the state as he is only a party division chief and can share his vast experience as a federal leader.
