KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Supreme Council meeting is set to convene tonight, with sources indicating that the recent defeat in the Kemaman by-election is high on the agenda.
The defeat in Kemaman, which used to be a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold, has sparked concerns, prompting the leadership to address the situation immediately.
Insiders suggest that the party's top leadership may engage in a comprehensive post-mortem analysis of the by-election result during the meeting, with discussions to revolve around the reasons behind the defeat, campaign strategies and assessing the overall performance of the party.
In the by-election, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, better known as Dr Sam, defended the seat for Pas, defeating his BN rival Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor with a whopping 37,220 votes.
Samsuri obtained a total of 64,998 votes while Raja Affandi, a retired general and former defence forces chief, garnered 27,778 votes.
The by-election was called following the decision of the Terengganu Election Court on Sept 26 to annul the victory of Pas candidate Che Alias Hamid in the 15th General Election, who won with 27,179-vote majority.
Che Alias first won the seat in the 14th General Election with just a 2,163-vote majority.
Additionally, sources also hinted at the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle being discussed during the meeting.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not rule out adding more ministers to the existing cabinet as part of the reshuffling exercise.
During a special interview "Setahun Bersama Kerajaan Madani: Tiwikrama Perdana Menteri", he said that the government would examine the need to do so based on its experience in the past year.
Previously, Anwar during a light exchange with 12-year-old Mohd Akmal Afif Yaseer Arafat, who joined members of the media during a door-stop press conference in front of Putra Al-Amin surau at Fasa 4C of Presint 18 here today, said a cabinet reshuffle of his unity government was possible before the end of this year.
"He (Akmal Afif) said before 2024. Therefore, I agree with his (Akmal Afif's proposal on the Cabinet reshuffle)," Anwar, in jest, told reporters before he left the premises.
Currently, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister's position is vacant, following the death of Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub on July 23.
Another possible agenda is on the fate of Supreme Council member Isham Jalil, who has been vocal, especially over Umno's cooperation with DAP.
Earlier today, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi challenged Isham to attend tonight's council meeting to air his grouses about Umno's cooperation with DAP in person.
Zahid said Isham did not attend the council's last three meetings.
Isham, in a video posted on Facebook, said that the Malays were rejecting Umno as it had strayed from its core principles and was willing to become a "lackey of DAP."