JOHOR BARU – Johor Umno has changed the way it promotes younger leaders, no longer following old practices that favour division chiefs or warlords, party veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said.
The former Johor Baru MP said this was evident in the appointment of Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi as the state menteri besar after BN formed the new state government following its landslide win in the March polls.
“I think there are some things we must acknowledge because Onn is not a division chief.
“You know the tradition and necessary qualifications to be menteri besar, which is that one must first be a divisional leader.
“But Onn is a vice-chief in (Umno) Simpang Renggam, so he has gone against the grain of what we used to know in Umno,” Shahrir said at a BN campaign event last night among the Indian community here.
He said this shows how Umno is changing.
“We should not just continue with the usual practices. And of course, the new state assemblymen from Umno are mainly young and new, and in the end, we have a very strong working majority,” Shahrir added.
Onn, 43, was also present at the event, as were Johor exco Mohd Hairi Mad Shah and BN’s Johor Baru parliamentary candidate Johan Arifin Mohd Ropi.
Shahrir, who is Johor Baru Umno division chief, also spoke of how his division selected BN’s candidate for the seat, and that he did not practise warlord policies such as being the only one to have a say.
“In Johor Baru Umno, we do not practise the idea that ‘Shahrir is the warlord and big boss so he can pick who he wants’. We invited those interested in becoming candidates, as we did not want someone who was unprepared.”
Shahrir said the division received six names for GE15 and agreed that the candidate should be a younger person.
“A choice was made, and Johan became the candidate.”
Stumping for Johan, Shahrir praised his abilities as a young leader whom he had groomed for future Umno leadership.
“I’ve known Johan for a while. He used to be my special officer. What I noticed about this man is that he can think outside the box.”
On Saturday, Johan will take on Johor Baru incumbent MP Akmal Nasrullah Nasir of PKR, representing Pakatan Harapan.
Also in the fray are Perikatan Nasional’s Mohd Mohtaj Yacob and Pejuang’s Mohd Akhiri Mahmood. – The Vibes, November 18, 2022
