Scramble for Kepala Batas as Pak Lah declines re-election

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — At least two Umno leaders are scrambling for the Kepala Batas federal seat as incumbent Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has declined Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s offer to defend the seat, a move seen as the prime minister’s way to keep winnable seats and regain the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) two-thirds majority. The Malaysian Insider understands that Kepala Batas Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and former Malaysian ambassador to the Philippines, Datuk Seri Ibrahim Saad, the former Tasik Gelugor MP and deputy minister, are in the running to replace Abdullah (picture), who has kept the seat since 1978. “Ibrahim seems to have the upper hand with his old boys network while Reezal is seen as a mamak,” a source told The Malaysian Insider, referring to Reezal’s South Indian Muslim ancestry. “But Pak Lah wants Reezal to replace him,” said the source, referring to the former prime minister’s moniker. It is learnt that some Umno people are not comfortable with Reezal’s candidature due to his ancestry and the fact that adjoining seat is represented by Tan Sri Mohd Nor Yackop, who is also of South Indian ancestry. Read more... Jarumemas: Get new faces because the younger generations want young men who understand them better.