At least seven potential successors are in the fray to replace Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan who is staring at the grave possibility of a last term as chief executive of the state.

Political observers said the big number was an indication of a determined move by the local warlords to remove Mohamad who had struggled to get their support.

With the automatic dissolution of the state assembly on Wednesday, talk is rife that this is Mohamed’s last stint as MB.

They said Mohamad, 57, had faced hostility from the movers and shakers who were unhappy that he had brought a corporate style and his two brothers into the state’s political frame.

NONE Mohamad is proof that corporate elites can’t cut it in politics,” said a ranking state Umno leader, who requested anonymity.

“He’s not your traditional Umno type.” He said the next menteri besar should be one who could bring harmony and narrow infighting.

The seven names being tossed are: Works Minister Shaziman Mansor (Tampin) ( right ), Awaluddin Said (Kota assemblyperson), Senator Najeeb Abdullah (Rasah Umno deputy chief), Lilah Yassin (Jempol MP), Hasan Malek (Kuala Pilah MP), Ismail Lasim (Senaling assemblyperson) and even Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau MP).

Ex-MB Isa Mohamed out of the question

Mohamad, meanwhile, has ambitions of contesting in Rantau and not a parliamentary seat.

The Umno leader said former menteri besar Isa Mohamed Samad, who made a political comeback in the 2010 Bagan Pinang by-election. was out of the equation.

“By virtue of his Felda chairpersonship, the vital Felda vote makes him influential and he might just have a say in the removal of Mohamad with whom he has had problems,” he said.

State Barisan Nasional leaders hold firm that Mohamad is a liability to the ruling party’s prospects in the state.

They told The Malay Mail in separate interviews that the stakes were high as Umno was under enormous pressure to cobble together cohesion to ward off a spirited challenge by the opposition.

NONE “The camaraderie is all downwards, and attempts to address the issues that matter to bickering factions have been in vain,” said one leader.

He said it was ironic that the state was cracking under factional strain when it was headed toward a “golden period” with a slew of mega projects that promises a brilliant transformation.

“Unless there are very exceptional circumstances, many feel that it’s not in BN’s interest that Mohamad remain as menteri besar,” he said.

We asked the state leaders whether corporate elitists had no place in national politics.    

Whether, former corporate captain and Selangor menteri besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim ( above ) was not a success story, one opined: “You have to swing with Umno traditions and not impose corporate ideology on the party.

"While we are all for forward philosophy, party conventions should not be compromised”.

Negri Sembilan ripe for Pakatan to take

He said the dominance of Mohamad’s family in state politics and business was central to dissatisfaction among many.

Mohamad was the chief executive of a company that distributed Mercedes Benz cars before he went into politics.

But unlike the purring Mercedes, Mohamad has not had a seductive, smooth ride since the state Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in 2008.

His brothers, critics say, have incurred the wrath of the local warlords and made life difficult for him.

Older brother Azman, who is Umno Rembau division secretary, and his third sibling Ghani, who is treasurer of the division, are dart board targets.

NONE Mohamad’s Rantau state seat is within the Rembau parliamentary constituency held by Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar ( right ), son-in-law of former premier Abdulah Ahmad Badawi.

Negri Sembilan, long-viewed as a BN fortress, is in trouble and Pakatan Rakyat believes the state is ripe for their plucking.

Pakatan leaders say they are confident a less than 10 percent vote sway in four state seats will be enough for them to take over Negri Sembilan.

They think they can wring the 36-seat state due to the narrow vote margins in four constituencies: Pilah, Kelawang, Lenggeng and Linggi.

The BN had narrowly won Pilah by 1,258 votes, Kelawang (1,167), Lenggeng (1,285) and Linggi (1,575) in the last general election.

In another development, speculation is rife that a former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Rais Yatim will be dropped as the Jelebu parliamentary candidate.

- The Malay Mail

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