The tussle for the Umno Youth top posts appears imminent as talks of a showdown gain momentum with new alliances being forged among several key leaders in the wing.

Malaysiakini learns from a party source that four top leaders are teaming up in pairs against each other.

Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein is said to have teamed up with the wing's information chief Azimi Daim in the face of a possible challenge to his leadership in the coming party election.

It was earlier reported that Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Khir Toyo had teamed up with the wing's vice head Aziz Sheikh Fadzir. However, this has neither been confirmed nor denied by the personalities involved.

Missing at function

Speculations of a possible clash among the four were intensified when Khir and Aziz (right) were conspicuously absent during the movement's 54th anniversary celebration in Hulu Kelang, Selangor recently, together with several exco members aligned to them.

This has fueled talks that Khir would challenge Hishamuddin for the top post with Aziz squaring it off against Azimi (left) for the number two post.

"I was told that Aziz could not attend the function because he has to be in Kedah, due to the demise of the Sultanah of Kedah. But why were the other exco members also missing?," asked the party source.

He said that one possible way to avert the showdown is for Hishammuddin to go ahead with his earlier plan to vacate the Umno Youth top post and contest for the vice presidency.

But it seems that Hishammuddin's supporters are against the idea as they are not convinced that he could garner enough support to win the post.

Bad blood

It is learnt that the Khir-Aziz team came about as there has been bad blood between Aziz's elder brother Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, the tourism minister, and Azimi, both from the Kulim Bandar Baru Umno division.

Kadir (photo) is the division chief while Azimi is his Youth leader. However, their relationship turned sour recently when the division's youth wing passed a motion of no confidence against Azimi as its chief.

A special committee was then set up by Umno Youth to find an amicable solution to the problem. But so far, the animosity within the Kedah youth wing is still prevalent.

According to the source, Aziz has become the target of rumours accusing him of aiming for the Kedah Menteri Besar's position.

"That is why, his detractors claimed, Aziz is doubling his efforts to strengthen Umno's machineries in Kedah to face PAS in the coming general election," the source added.

However, the source felt that the majority of the Umno Youth grassroots are counting on the Khir-Aziz leadership to return the wing to its hey days of aggressively fighting for issues affecting the Malay community and Islam.