Disquiet in Umno against attempt to block contests for top posts

KUALA LUMPUR – Calls are growing louder within Umno for all posts, including those of president and deputy president, to be contested in the party election due next year and for any attempt to curtail polls to be thwarted.

Padang Rengas Umno chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, a former member of the party’s Supreme Council, added his voice to the calls, backing the concerns aired by a leader in the youth wing.

The former cabinet minister agreed with youth leader Datuk Muhamad Muqharabbin Mokhtarrudin regarding this matter and insisted that no one should restrict the long-established democratic practice within the party.

He said that Umno is the country’s main Malay party and promotes the practice of democracy and openness, serving as an example to other parties in permitting elections for all posts.

“We should move forward, not backward with outdated proposals that do not reflect well on Umno as a party that promotes democratic principles,” he said, as reported by Getaran, The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal.

“If it is true that there is an effort to prevent the election of certain positions in the party, then Umno would be losing its identity and direction of its struggle.”

“It would also be another black episode for Umno after our poor performance in the last general election (GE15),” he added.

The former tourism minister said that those who are proposing that the posts of president and deputy president not be contested in the party polls are underestimating the capabilities of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who are now respectively holding the posts.

He said that the two leaders had previously demonstrated their prowess by winning in the previous party election without holding any government positions.

“When we were in opposition, we could have contests, but now that we are in government, we should not have contests – what a clever proposal that is,” he sarcastically remarked.

He accused those wanting to shelve the contests for the top two posts of thinking that Zahid has no dignity.

“You have to remember, Zahid was the one who allowed the position of president to be contested in 2018. He was brave, and because of that courage, he won as Umno members want the practice of democracy to thrive in the party,” he said.

Nazri also stressed that those proposing it must bear witness to the courage of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is chairman of Pakatan Harapan.

“We are now working with Pakatan Harapan (PH), a collaboration that I once suggested in 2019 but was scorned by some parties who now support this effort.

“When we support and cooperate, we should also emulate the democratic practices of PH parties like PKR and DAP who dared to hold elections before GE15,” he said.

“They encourage democratic practices within the party, but there are some of us who still think as we did 30 years ago, wishing that the positions of president and deputy president are not contested,” he said.

In the general election held in November, Umno candidates won only 26 of the 120 seats that they had contested on behalf of Barisan Nasional (BN).

Divisional leaders asking for no contests

Yesterday, Muqharabbin, an executive councillor in Umno Youth, had said that any move to prohibit open party elections would serve to hinder democracy in the organisation.

He described such a move as inappropriate, saying that Umno is not a party for select “families” but is an entity with more than three million members across the country.

“Day by day, rumours are spreading that a special motion will be introduced and then passed in the party’s assembly for the positions of president and deputy president to not be contested in the upcoming Umno election,” he said.

“Several leaders of Umno divisions, namely those of Beruas, Sg Besar, and Pasir Salak, have clearly stated that they do not want the two positions to be contested next year,” he noted.

According to Muqharabbin, neither the party nor any individual should obstruct Umno’s long-standing democratic practice.

“The issue of whether Umno won or lost the 15th general election does not arise because the regular election must go on in accordance with the requirements of the Registrar of Societies (RoS),” he said.

“Before GE15, we did not have a party election because we did not want rifts in the party and wanted the focus to remain on the general election.

“Is it not allowed even now? If so, then when will there be party elections?” asked Muqharabbin.

On July 29 this year, the Registrar of Societies had approved Umno’s application on making some amendments to the party’s constitution.

The RoS approved the amendments which stipulated that the party’s polls at all levels will be held no later than six months after a general election. This led to the postponement of the party election that was due earlier this year.

The party must now hold its polls before May 19, 2023. – The Vibes, December 26, 2022