GE14: All eyes on Langkawi

GEORGE TOWN: One of the hottest battles in the 14th general election will be in Langkawi if former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad decides to contest there.
The task at hand for Barisan Nasional (BN) is to find a suitable candidate to take on Mahathir.
According to Padang Besar MP Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, what the northern region state lacks in terms of Malay leadership, is young leaders with calibre.
"Perhaps, the leadership winds are changing now. In the past, most of the Umno leaders were from the northern region namely the founding father Al - Marhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj or Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Now they are mostly from the eastern and southern states."
Party insiders in Umno have suggested a local candidate but not the parliamentary incumbent Datuk Nawawi Ahmad in view that after two-terms, BN could do with a fresher face to handle the charismatic former premier.
Another name that has been proposed is Datuk Md Rawi Abdul Hamid, a lawyer, and a Kedah executive councillor in charge of the tourism portfolio.
He was considered the right-hand man of former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir during the latter's tenure.
Md Rawi who has Thai relatives on his mother side is also touted as a future mentri besar material.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the younger brother of former four-term Padang Matsirat assemblyman Datuk Hassan Bulat; Datuk Juhari Bulat may stand alongside Mahathir in a state seat in Langkawi.
Juhari, when contacted, said he remained unsure about such a prospect.
"But let's see how we fare in the run-up to the nomination," he said.
Ahmad Pishol Isahak, a veteran tourism activist, said that whoever decides to contest in Langkawi, will need to have a special understanding of how to grow the tourism potential of the island resort.
"Langkawi has done relatively well, but it needs to grow bigger and faster to meet the demands of the travel trade practitioners as well as the tourists."