Ex-DPM Ismail's scion seeks to battle Zahid in polls

Former Sungai Benut MP Tawfik Ismail has vowed to challenge Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the upcoming general election.

Tawfik, the eldest son of the country’s second deputy prime minister the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, said his purpose was to send a strong anti-corruption message.

"I will fight in (Zahid's stronghold of) Bagun Datuk or anywhere he runs. My campaign is 'rakyat versus rasuah' (people versus corruption).

"I will call on all Malaysians who hate corruption to see my fight as their fight," said the 71-year-old who will be running as an independent candidate under the Gerak Independent (GI) platform.

Tawfik (above) added that it was important for him to "go for the leader" in order to spread his message.

"Everyone else is a tadpole."

Earlier this year, GI announced its line-up of potential GE15 candidates for Subang, Petaling Jaya, Wangsa Maju, Kota Kinabalu and Batu - all seats won by Pakatan Harapan during the 2018 election.

‘A Malay must show the way’

Tawfik said he had no intention of splitting the Harapan vote and was instead bringing his anti-corruption message to the Malay heartlands.

"Malays must take back the moral compass and a Malay must show the way," he added.

Tawfik was elected as the Sungai Benut MP in 1986. He left Umno the following year after the party's tumultuous leadership election.

It will be an uphill task for Tawfik to win in Bagan Datuk, a constituency which Zahid has represented six times since 1995.

Tawfik was once a corporate man and had a stint in Fleet Group Sdn Bhd - Umno's business arm. He also played a role in setting up Malaysia's first private broadcaster TV3 in 1984.

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