KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied interference in the recently concluded party polls for its women, youth, and Puteri wings, citing his daughter’s loss in the race for the Bagan Datuk Umno Wanita top post.
He said he has never supported or suppressed anyone’s intentions to run for party positions, evidenced by Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid’s loss in her race for his division’s Umno Wanita post.
“If I was biased and wanted only one person to win, it would have been for my daughter to win the Bagan Datuk Umno Wanita chief post, but she lost.
“If it is obvious that I support someone to lead Umno Wanita, how would my division be supporting someone else?
“In this matter, I’m very practical – it is the right of the delegates to vote in a conducive manner,” he said last night in an interview with Agenda Awani.
He was asked on claims that only the “president’s people” won in the party polls.
Although Nurulhidayah lost that race, she secured a seat in Umno Wanita’s executive council.
It was reported that a cursory reading of the list of people who made the executive councils of the wings were purportedly inclined with Zahid’s vision of the party.
Yesterday, Zahid said all the candidates, whether they won in the internal polls, are “orang Zahid” as factions should not exist.
“For me, the winners are all my people because I am Umno president of Umno. I don’t want any factions in Umno.
“All candidates, regardless of wing, came to see me for my blessings. I did not stop anyone from contesting.”
Separately, Umno election committee chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said on Monday that the party was likely to act against a party member who uploaded a video of a row during the Titiwangsa Umno Youth election.
The member had possibly breached party rules by bringing a recording device into the ballot centre as well as uploading content that could be used against the party.
Despite the official announcement for the wings, votes from several divisions were suspended from the official results following several disciplinary issues and objections from party members.
This includes Kota Kinabalu and Tanah Merah, where votes from all party wings were suspended.
Umno also suspended the votes from the Kuala Kedah division’s Wanita wing as well as the Puteri wing for the Batuk Kawan division.
Similarly, for the Youth wing, the party leadership has decided to suspend voting in Semporna and Titiwangsa, especially after videos of an alleged altercation were uploaded on social media.
Umno members still can vote for divisional leadership, as well as the three vice-president positions and Supreme Council members this Saturday. – The Vibes, March 15, 2023
