KUALA LUMPUR – The absolute power to determine whether Umno can delay its polls for another 18 months, in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, rests with the party’s Supreme Council, said its secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
In a Facebook live video today, he said the National Security Council and Health Ministry also suggested for Umno to delay its party elections if a virtual poll could not be held, referring to letters dated June 11 and May 10.
“The Registrar of Societies (RoS) acknowledged receiving a letter from Umno dated June 24, 2021, through a letter by the RoS dated July 19, 2021, which among others stated that the RoS has no problems with Umno delaying its elections as this is in line with Article 10.16 of Umno’s constitution.
“The decision by the Supreme Council on July 7, 2021, informing the RoS through a letter by Umno dated July 30, 2021, was only to make the council’s decision official, that was first made through a circular resolution dated June 18, 2021.
“The interpretation of Umno’s lawyers of Article 10.16 of the party’s constitution is clear – it states that the absolute power to delay Umno’s elections belongs to the Supreme Council and therefore, Umno only needs to inform the RoS.”
He added that matters raised by the RoS in its letter dated August 6, 2021, where it stated that the Supreme Council office bearers for the 2018-2021 term ended on June 30, 2021, is no longer an issue.
The secretary-general said based on the chronology of the letters between the RoS and Umno, it has granted Umno a legitimate expectation that the registrar will accept and acknowledge the decision to delay its contest.
“We hope that with this clarification, the polemic between Umno and the RoS will be resolved.”
Ahmad highlighted the difficulty and danger in organising electoral meetings, seeing as it involves 3.3 million members and 66,287 delegation meetings nationwide at a time when the Covid-19 caseload is about 20,000 a day. – The Vibes, August 7, 2021
