Tengku Zafrul wants out
over strained ties with
Umno warlords, says
source
The source claims certain Umno leaders had been conspiring to sideline the minister after the party’s poor showing in Selangor.
A well-placed source who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that certain Umno leaders had been conspiring to sideline Tengku Zafrul, a Supreme Council member, after the party’s poor showing at the Selangor state assembly elections in 2023.
During the Selangor state election in August 2023, Barisan Nasional lynchpin Umno contested for 12 seats but only won two – a success rate of less than 17%. The state assembly has 56 seats.
In April, Tengku Zafrul resigned as the state chapter’s treasurer citing his inability to contribute to improving the state chapter. At the time, he criticised Selangor Umno for its lukewarm efforts to revive itself following its poor electoral outing.
“So, I’m not surprised that Umno warlords decided to get rid of him. And Tengku Zafrul noticed this after the state elections,” the source told FMT.
The source also revealed that Tengku Zafrul was poised to stand in the Selangor polls. However, his plans were derailed after a certain party leader expressed dissatisfaction with him.
There were also fears that Tengku Zafrul, said to be a valued member of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet as investment trade and industry minister, would outshine, and eventually replace, a certain Umno leader.
“This is typical of Umno warlords. They dislike anyone who might outshine them.”
Traitor or talent?
Describing Tengku Zafrul as a talented figure with close ties to the royal institution, the source suggested that such strengths likely intensified the unease among the warlords.
“It made him an easy target for certain factions.”
Still, there was a likelihood that Tengku Zafrul would come under fire now that his talks with PKR have come out in the open, the source said, adding that some Umno leaders have already branded him a “traitor”.
“However, everybody knows what actually happened.”
Speculation has been rife that Tengku Zafrul is planning to leave Umno to join PKR.
In a statement on Sunday, he confirmed discussions with PKR over joining the party but said no decision had been made. He also denied being in talks over state-level positions or by-elections, after rumours began to circulate that a move to PKR would see him become Selangor’s menteri besar.
In recent days, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and Youth chief Akmal Salleh have expressed their objection to “party-hopping” within the unity government.
However, one PAS leader brushed off the protests as “drama”, claiming that Umno and PKR had already discussed the matter behind the scenes.
No comments:
Post a Comment