Umno chief Zahid gets his way, but victory not a sure bet at early polls

KUALA LUMPUR – All week long, Umno president Zahid Hamidi has been in good spirits, even jokingly telling reporters last Tuesday that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob should have requested the King’s consent to dissolve Malaysia’s Parliament “yesterday”.

Despite tensions rising in recent months between the ruling party chief and party vice-president Ismail over when to hold a general election, a meeting last Thursday night – after the Premier’s audience with Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah – was cordial to the point of being joyous.