Blood, says the proverb, is thicker than water. And that is how Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein Onn comes into the spotlight as the ruling party undergoes a power transition in October.

Hishamuddin - related to the Defence Minister Najib Razak - took over the leadership of the Youth wing in 2000, seven years after Najib vacated it to contest for the vice-presidency as part of the 'vision team' led by jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Najib and Hishammuddin are both cousins as their mothers are sisters.

Since then, Umno Youth has always been regarded as a staunch supporter of Najib in the party and government.