Hisham tries to quell rumblings in T'ganu Umno

A long and rocky road awaits newly appointed Terengganu Umno chief Hishammuddin Hussein in his bid to rebuild the deeply divided state machinery.

After chairing his maiden state Umno liason meeting on Sunday, Hishammuddin’s plans hit a snag when a key player, former menteri besar Idris Jusoh, was not present.

Complicating matters further, Hishammudin axed several of Menteri Besar Ahmad Said's appointees in the lineup, including Rosli Mat Hassan, Zuber Embong and Ruslan Awang Chik during the meeting.

In an apparent attempt to contain a possible fallout, the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia ran a two-page interview with Hishammuddin focusing on the ongoing troubles in Terengganu Umno.

Idris, who was menteri besar and by default state Umno chief until early last year, leads a powerful faction of top Umno leaders in the state.

The other faction is led by Ahmad, who was appointed by the Terengganu Sultan despite objections from the national Umno leadership.

Idris 'wanted to attend' meet

In late April, up to 18 state assemblypersons had openly rebelled against Ahmad and pressured him to step down for alleged poor showing as menteri besar.

The attempted coup was widely attributed to Idris’ camp.

Commenting on Idris' absence, Hishammuddin said during the interview that the former MB was overseas and despite rushing back, could only arrive after the meeting was over.

However, Hishammuddin stressed that a representative from the Besut Umno division, which is chaired by Idris, was present at the meeting.

"I don't see an issue with Idris' absence. Previous meetings involved me, Ahmad and Idris. If there is a third party trying to cause friction between the two, they will not succeed as I have experience (in handling) such matters," he said.

Hishammuddin added that he was in constant communication with Idris and was told that the latter wanted to attend the meeting but was unable to.

Asked if it was possible for Idris and Ahmad to ever bury the hatchet, Hishammuddin replied that it was only possible if the duo were sincere in doing so.

"I know both of them very well. They are both gracious leaders. If no third party interferes, I'm confident that this can be a reality.

"Their (relationship) needs to be built, restored and there must not be any suspicion (between the two). With my presence and with advise from the leadership, we can bring them closer," he said.

Problems 'not that serious'

Asked for his views on the severity of the problems in Terengganu Umno, Hishammuddin said it was "not that serious" but needs to be addressed now to prevent it from worsening.

However, the Umno vice-president added that he needed time to resolve the conflict.

"This matter has been going on for months or for more than a year. It cannot be resolved in the blink of an eye," he said.

On the dropping of three of Ahmad's allies from the state Umno lineup, Hishammuddin said the move was done to bring in new faces.

"If they do not perform, they will face the same fate as their predecessors. Those who were dropped from the lineup will also be given duties and responsibilities (at a later time)," he said.

New appointees include Hulu Terengganu Umno division head Tengku Putera Tengku Awang as information chief, Kemaman MP and Youth and Sports Minister Shabery Cheek as information chief and Kuala Nerus Umno division head Rahin Mohd Said as treasurer.