PBB election spotlights on tussle for Youth No 2 post
The spotlight on the Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB)Youth election in July is expected to be on the choice of No 2 for the party's Youth wing.
The present youth leader Gramong Juna, from the party's Pesaka (Dayak) wing, who is Assistant Minister of Land and Rural Development, is expected to be returned unopposed in line with the party's tradition of no-contest for a top post when one wing has unanimously agreed on the choice and is normally acquiesced to by the other, Bumiputra wing.
The present No 2, Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, who is Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office, is over the age of 45 and as such is ineligible for re-election. The post is reserved for a candidate from the Bumiputra wing.
Malaysiakini understands that at least two names have been mentioned as possible candidates. One is newly-elected state assemblyperson for Asajaya, Karim Abdul Rahman Hamzah, a lawyer and political secretary to the chief minister.
According to party sources, Karim has claimed that he has the support of the party's top leadership to succeed Awang Tengah, who is also PBB treasurer.
His possible challenger is another Malay lawyer and businessman Ibrahim Baki, who has indicated privately he is willing to put his name forward if he has enough support.
Ibrahim is closely aligned to the party's deputy president Abang Johari Tun Openg, the state tourism minister, who beat Adenan Satem, the state agriculture and food industries minister, at the last party elections for the deputy president's post in a bruising contest.
Adenan, considered a wannabe-chief minister in the event Abdul Taib Mahmud should decide to call it a day, has been made the party's senior vice-president — a post scoffed at by Adenan's detractors as "specially created" for him after his defeat to Abang Johari.
Determined challenge
According to sources, in the event Ibrahim finds that opposition to his candidacy is so strong that he is obliged to retreat, his supporters have indicated they will put up another candidate, Abang Omar Abang Ali, a civil engineer and a successful businessman involved in food processing in Kuala Lumpur, to challenge Karim.
Karim is aligned to Awang Tengah, and supporters of both Ibrahim Baki and Abang Omar are confident they will have enough support from among PBB youth delegates to ensure either one of their men will pull through convincingly.
"Karim has to work hard to ensure he is well accepted," said one PBB Youth member who asked not to be identified.
"Ibrahim has good support, and Abang Omar by polling the second highest votes in the last youth elections, knows where he stands," he added.
Ibrahim, who commutes between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching to attend to his business, gave way twice to Awang Tengah for the deputy president's post. This time, however, should he decide to go for the No 2 Youth post, there will be a vacancy among the three Youth vice-chairperson posts.
Keen contest
The other vice-chairpersons are Mikau Landau, an Iban, and Martin Ben, a Bidayuh. In the event of a vacancy, the vice-chairperson's post for the Bumiputra wing is expected to see a keen contest.
Meanwhile, the elections to the PBB main body and women's section are expected to be tame affairs, with the party's CEC already deciding there will be no contest for all top posts.
There will be no contest for posts from president down to the two deputy presidents and all vice-presidents, as well as for the two top posts in the women's wing.
A keen tussle is only expected for executive committee posts because there are more aspirants than posts available.
The only other interest is over who will PBB chief and Chief Minister Taib appoint as the new secretary-general to succeed Leonard Linggi Jugah who resigned recently.
If the post should go to the Pesaka wing, two names have been mentioned — PBB vice- president Douglas Uggah, a federal deputy minister, and PBB youth leader Gramong Juna, both Iban.
There is also speculation that Taib may depart from tradition and appoint someone from the Bumiputra wing as secretary-general. Presently, acting secretary-general is Bolhassan Di, an assistant minister.
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