GEORGE TOWN – It is all systems go for the coming Umno election after the party received assent from the Registrar of Societies (RoS) that the no-contest resolution for the top two party positions is within the party constitution.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who conveyed this, said that the party received a letter from the RoS last Friday that the resolution has its merits because it went through the proper process of seeking the mandate from Umno general assembly delegates.
Two Umno members from Terengganu and Negri Sembilan had lodged reports last month with the RoS that the resolution was seen as unconstitutional.
“This means that only the vice-presidents, Supreme Council slots, and wings’ (Wanita, Youth, and Puteri) posts will be contested. It is my hope for a healthy contest,” he told journalists here last night.
Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, had earlier attended an event to introduce divisional candidates for Penang Umno at the Eastin Hotel here.
Nine out of the 14 divisions here saw the incumbent heads returning unopposed.
They are Penang Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir (Bukit Mertajam), Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican (Kepala Batas), Datuk Shaik Hussein Mydin (Bagan), and Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said (Permatang Pauh).
The others are veterans Datuk Ahmad Ismail (Bukit Bendera), Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman (Jelutong), Datuk Omar Faudzar (Bukit Gelugor), Datuk Mansor Musa (Bayan Baru), and Datuk Jeffrey Salim (Tanjong).
Among the national Umno leaders who had opposed the resolution was former prime minister and outgoing party vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Zahid said that Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, in the letter, granted an exemption from compliance with Section 13(1)(c)(14) through Section 70 of the Societies Act 1966 regarding the decision of the additional motion.
It was granted because the additional motion was approved at the Umno general assembly with regard to the no-contest for the president and deputy president positions.
Zahid said that the party constitution had listed that the highest decision-making platform in the party is the annual general assembly.
The complaints to the RoS were reportedly filed by Muhammad Aizat Fikri Mohd Nasir and Muhammad Fiqri Firdaus Muhammad Rom, who are from Terengganu and Negri Sembilan respectively.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that Penang Umno has also directed its members to prepare for the coming state election besides the current focus on party polls.
Umno will lead Barisan Nasional into the election for the first time as an ally of Pakatan Harapan, the dominant coalition in Penang, on the basis that both form the nucleus of the federal national unity government. – The Vibes, March 5, 2023
