Fracas at party meet: Probe sought

A top Umno leader has called for an investigation into a fracas between two factions of the youth wing in wake of the surprise election results late last night.

Following the announcement that Khairy Jamaluddin had been elected Umno Youth chief, a group of about 200 supporters of his rival, Muhkriz Mahathir, held a protest in PWTC where the party’s annual general meeting is being held.

"Khairy, rasuah," they shouted, accusing the newly-elected Youth leader of vote-buying.

The angry group was then confronted by about 200 Khairy supporters and this led to both sides taunting each other.

As the crowd grew unruly, police were called in to form a human barrier to keep the two groups apart.

At 12.20am, about 45 minutes after the impromptu protest, both groups were eventually dispersed by the police and the situation returned to normal.

In a shock result yesterday, Khairy won the wing's top post by a narrow margin, edging out two other candidates including the son of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Foreign Minister Rais Yatim, who is vying for the party's vice-president post, today called for an investigation into the incident.

"The Umno majority voice has spoken but there seems to be a disgruntled situation where people were talking about corruption against Khairy," he told AFP.

"Since the commotion was substantial we should not ignore it and therefore the (Umno disciplinary committee) should take a good, fine toothcomb and go through it."

In his victory speech, Khairy promised not to punish those who campaigned against him, and called on the Youth wing to unite and "stand by me when we meet the opposition, wherever they are."

"Some had said that 'He is finished without his father-in-law. He is gone.' But I returned to the basics of Umno politics. I built comradeship with the grassroots," he said.

However, as Khairy left the hall, dozens of disgruntled members began booing him and accusing him of corruption.

Some 50 police were quickly deployed to secure the area and hustled Khairy out through another exit.

Shahrizat seen as close to Abdullah

The Oxford-educated Khairy was an aide to outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi before marrying the boss's daughter in 2001, sending him on a meteoric rise that landed him the deputy youth chief position in 2004.

The contest against Mukhriz, a 44-year-old businessman, was seen as determining which of Malaysia's top political clans will control its future after the two patriarchs had a very public falling out.

New Umno president Najib Razak has promised a radical overhaul of Umno, but commentators say his political baggage - including low popularity ratings and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and links to a sensational murder - will weaken his position.

In another high-profile contest, former cabinet minister and political veteran Rafidah Aziz was knocked out as leader of Umno's women's wing, in favour of her deputy, Shahrizat Jalil, who is another ally of Abdullah.

"Khairy's win was an upset," political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said. "It has disrupted the power balance within Najib's team. He definitely wanted people from his own faction."

Najib faces a final test late today when the results of the vote for his new deputy are announced. He is reputed to favour trade minister Muhyiddin Yassin but the race is believed to be very tight.

Najib, the son and nephew of two former prime ministers, was today formally declared president of Umno in a handover that by party tradition was uncontested.

No date has been set for the formal transition of power, but the King is expected to swear him in as the nation's next leader on April 3.

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