KUALA LUMPUR – Umno will focus on loyalists within the party when its leadership selects candidates to contest in the next general election, said former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
When asked on the fate of party members not toeing the party line, Najib stopped short of saying that such members will be booted out.
“As far as Umno is concerned we will give priority to the principle of loyalty to the party.
“What happens come election time remains to be seen, but that principle will be the most important (criteria),” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Umno General Assembly 2020 (PAU20), here, today.
The former Umno president said the feeling on the ground is that the leadership must ensure the party remains intact.
“And the best way is to ensure that leaders being chosen remain loyal to the party,” he added.
When asked to comment on Ketereh Umno division chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa’s remarks that the debate session is expected to be in a controlled tone due to the arrangements of delegate speakers made by the party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Najib said that it is the prerogative of the president to do so.
“It is his (the president’s) right to do so. If one does not agree, we must accept the fact that that is how the system in the party works,” he added.
In a Facebook post, Annuar claimed that all original speakers have been rejected and replaced.
Meanwhile, commenting on the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to postpone the implementation of Undi18, Najib said the decision to approve Undi18 was made unanimously by all 211 parliamentarians.
“Therefore, principally any decisions made in parliament should be respected and implemented.
“Overall, the youth are waiting for the opportunity to vote and this will surely upset them if the opportunity is seized from them,” he said.
When asked on whether the delay on Undi 18 was due to it being a disadvantage to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib added that seems to be the most prevalent opinion. – The Vibes, March 27, 2021
