With the lack of contests for all the top Umno posts in the party polls next month, attention is now focussed on the menteris besar versus cabinet ministers tussle for the vice-president posts and seats on the supreme council.

The fight for top posts in Puteri Umno ended last night when several candidates agreed to withdraw themselves in order for the posts of Puteri head and deputy head to be won without contest.

This compromise was reached at a special Puteri meeting chaired by its outgoing head, Azalina Othman Said in Kuala Lumpur.

Prior to that, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak had won the posts of Umno head and deputy head respectively without contest at the end of Umno divisional meetings last month. They are also prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively.

Supreme Council member Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's offer to be nominated to contest the presidency fizzled out when he received only one nomination which came from his own division, Gua Musang.

Rafidah Aziz, the incumbent Wanita head, was returned without contest when her prospective challenger, Siti Zaharah Sulaiman, failed to garner enough nominations to qualify to contest the post.

Rafidah's deputy Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, also retained her post again without contest.

Khairy as deputy

Over in Umno Youth, Hishammuddin Hussein retained his post as head without contest, while the prime minister's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, won the post of deputy head, also without contest.

Following these 'no contest' developments, the focus of next month's Umno polls is now reduced to the contests for the three vice-president posts with Muhyiddin Yassin and Muhammad Muhd Taib facing off against five contenders, who include two menteris besar and two cabinet ministers.

The challengers are Malacca Menteri Besar Mohd Ali Rustam, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed, Johore Baru MP Shahrir Samad, Federal Territory Minister Isa Samad and Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob.

Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar has decided not to contest for a vice-presidency even though he has received enough nominations to qualify to stand. He withdrew himself in order to concentrate on winning a seat on the Supreme Council instead.

The election for the 25 Umno supreme council members is also expected to be interesting with close fights predicted between the candidates who come from the ranks of menteris besar, deputy ministers and ministers.

Five menteris besar and five cabinet ministers are leading the pack of 30 contesting for a supreme council seat.

The menteris besar are Dr Mohd Khir Toyo (Selangor), Syed Razak Syed Zin (Kedah), Musa Aman (Sabah), Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali (Perak) and Muhammad Hassan (Negeri Sembilan).

Those who come from the ranks of ministers and deputy ministers are Aziz Shamsudin, Mohamed Khalid Nordin, Abdul Khadir Sheikh Fadzir, Shafie Afdal and Zahid Hamidi.

Other candidates are Shafie Salleh, Azalina Othman Said, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Awang Adek Husin, Noh Omar, Jamaluddin Jarjis, Zin Mohamed, Tengku Putera Tengku Awang, Latif Ahmad and Helmi Yahya.

Compromise

In terms of nominations Mohd Khir Toyo tops the list of candidates for supreme council seat contest while the rankings of the other menteris besar are Syed Razak (3), Musa (5), Tajol Rosli (6), Mohammad (10), Abdul Ghani Othman (11) and Shahidan Kassim (15).

The rankings of the ministers and deputy ministers are Aziz (2), Mohamad Nordin (3), Abdul Kadir (5), Shafie Afdal (8), Ahmad Zahid (9), Shafie (12), Azalina (13), Shahrizat (14), Dr Awang Adek (17), Noh (18) and Jamaluddin at 19.

Meanwhile, the compromise reached at the special Puteri meeting last night saw Noraini Ahmad winning the post of Puteri head uncontested when the other candidate, Suraya Yaakob, who is the state assemblyperson for Sungai Tiang as well as Kedah Puteri head, withdrew.

Similarly, two candidates for the post of Puteri deputy head - Bibi Sharliza Mohd Khalid and Shahaniza Shamsudin - also withdrew to allow Rosnah Abdul Rasid Sherlin to win that post uncontested.

Rosnah is the head of Sabah Puteri while Bibi Sharliza is Paroi state assemblyperson. Shahaniza is Pahang Puteri head.

The special meeting held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil was attended by all Puteri exco members.

Following that, Suraya was named the Puteri treasurer, Bibi Sharliza as Puteri secretary, and Shahaniza as the wing's information head.