He may be young and a little wet behind the ears but Pulai Umno division chief Nur Jazlan Mohamed said his decision to vie for the country's second-most powerful post was based on his conscience.

According to Nur Jazlan, Umno - which forms the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional - is in dire need of a change in culture. And the 42-year-old politician believes that he has what it takes to achieve this.

nur jazlan mohamed 071008 04 "I know many in Umno would question my intention, maybe many would even be angered by it but I have decided to act on my conscience and pursue this," he told Malaysiakini in an interview yesterday.

"What the party needs is youthful idealism, younger and fresher ideas for the party and I believe I may be able to carry that with me (if I am elected deputy president)," he said.

The two-term Pulai MP said the people have rejected Umno's formula of running the country under its current president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and this was evident in the March 8 polls.

Since then, he said, the Umno supreme council has failed to bring about any concrete changes and this made him realise that he had to do his part by playing a pro-active role to heal the party.

"I had the intention of running for the deputy president post right after the March 8 polls. But I only gave this serious thought now after looking at how things are going in the party and country," he added.

Uphill task

However, Nur Jazlan is aware that he is facing an uphill task, in securing the 38 nominations required for the number two post.

"If I do not get enough nominations, I don't mind. I know how to measure myself. But what matters most is that I am sending a clear message that something needs to be done," he said.

nur jazlan mohamed 071008 03 Nur Jazlan would be in the race with several Umno bigwigs such as popular supreme council member Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and vice-president Mohd Ali Rustam who have confirmed their intention to contest.

Others tipped to be in the running are political heavyweights - vice-president Muhyiddin Yassin, information chief Muhammad Muhd Taib, vice-president Mohd Isa Abdul Samad and Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim.

Conceding that his decision to go for the post was 'rather unorthodox' given Umno’s political culture, Nur Jazlan reiterated that the party is in deep need of a paradigm shift.

There must be a new philosophy where leaders are judged by his or her capabilities rather than age, he pointed out.

umno polling dates and quota for 2008 party polls 250908 march 2009 "Unlike opposition parties such as DAP and PKR which have produced very young and capable leaders, Umno is stuck with the old senior-junior hierarchical system which to me impedes the party's progress," he said.

The Umno leader said while changing the system would be a time consuming effort, it was not impossible.

"Umno was started by young leaders. (Former president) Tunku Abdul Rahman was around my age when Umno faced the tougher objective of attaining the nation's independence. So it is not impossible," he added.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

When did you get the idea of contesting for the No 2 post?

I actually had the intention of running for the deputy president post right after the March 8 polls but only gave it serious thought now after looking at how things are going with the party and country. When I heard that (Ahmad) Zahid (Hamidi) and Ali Rustam were going to contest for the post, I decided that I would announce it too.

The formula of running the country - people are rejecting (this). Look at the two most developed states in the country, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Despite the development Umno and BN brought to these two states, they were lost to (opposition alliance) Pakatan Rakyat.

You never held any national level posts in the party nor do you have any experience. Don’t you think it’s rather premature to contest for the No 2 post?

This is a problem within Umno. We must learn to overlook the senior-junior system and recognise a candidate based on his or her potentials. Unlike opposition parties like DAP and PKR which have produced very young and capable leaders, Umno is currently stuck with the old senior-junior hierarchical system which to me impedes the party’s progress.

If Umno does not change, we would lose out. I believe I can initiate this change.

How do you rate your chances?

The feedback I got from people outside of Umno, from the people who want to see Umno change is very encouraging but from within the party itself, I don't know. Whatever it is, I am acting on my own conscience and I want to see the party heal.

nur jazlan mohamed 071008 01 Young voters need leaders they can identify with and I believe they would support Umno more if younger leaders are at the frontline. I can be the conduit. The party is weakening and it would be easier to heal the party now while we are in power rather than when we are not.

Many people say that it was a mistake that (Prime Minister) Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) maintained a cabinet line-up of those from the Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration. So if (deputy premier and current Umno number two) Najib Razak wants to attract more people to Umno, he should recruit those not from the Mahathir or Abdullah generation, and I can solve that problem.

But the political reality is that you have to be a force within the party to have that kind of impact. Do you have it?

It is a system that is difficult to do a wholesale change but I don’t think it is impossible. Umno was started by young leaders. (Former president like) Tunku Abdul Rahman was around my age when Umno faced the tougher objective of attaining the nation’s independence so its not impossible. If we do not do this (inject young blood), it will be difficult in the future.

But what about the Umno Youth wing?

The Umno Youth wing is meant as a second layer of leadership in the party and they are being prepared for the top leadership in the next 10 or 15 years. It’s a long-term solution to things but what the party needs now is a short term solution.

Who do you think is the best person to be Umno's top man?

Najib is the best person. My experience with him indicates that he is very capable and look at his experience. He has held all important posts in the government as well as the party and I am convinced that he is the best to lead the country.

Many are saying you are making a rather disrespectful move to contest for the deputy president post given your age.

I act out of my own conscience and hope that they can think what is best for the party. But if they don’t nominate me it is okay and if they do, good. I know where I stand.

How will you campaign?

I will not campaign. I will write a letter to all the divisions and inform them of my intention to contest.

There are some members from your division saying that you can't even take care of your own division so you should just stick to focusing on taking care of your division

I have been the division chief for Pulai for five years. I was the election chief for Pulai for both the 2004 and 2008 general elections and this is testimony to my performance. I have done my job.

Who are these people that question my performance? I believe they should ask themselves if they themselves have done enough for Pulai.

Suppose you get enough nominations, do you think your opponents would start playing dirty?

No, I don't think so. Let's be positive. Positive thinking leads to a more productive lifestyle (laughs).

Watch 9-min segment of the interview