Zainal said he had informed Umno president Najib Razak two years ago of his decision. In 2013, Zainal contested in Nibong Tebal but was defeated by PKR’s Mansor Othman.
“Even though I am only in my 50s, I feel we have to give the younger leaders an opportunity to contest,” he said. As state party leader he would have had the choice of any parliamentary or state seat, but he said “Umno’s struggle is more important than any individual’s ambition”.
He said Najib had agreed on his suggestion for someone new to take over as head of Zainal’s Nibong Tebal Umno division.
Nibong Tebal, in southern mainland Penang, has 73,000 voters and a Malay majority. PKR, Umno, and PAS are expected to contest for the seat.
There is speculation that the BN candidate would be Shaik Hussein Mydin, a former Penang Umno Youth chief, who is Nibong Tebal BN parliamentary coordinator.
Zainal said he had been introducing the likely candidate to the people. “He has served them and received positive response from the locals,” he said, without identifying the nominee.
For the present, Zainal said he would focus his efforts on leading the Penang Umno election machinery to help it retain its three parliamentary and 10 state assembly seats, as well as regain two other parliamentary and five state seats that it held before 2008.