Motion to bar contest for top 2 Umno posts passed

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KUALA LUMPUR: A motion not to have any contest for the posts of Umno president and deputy president has been passed at the party’s general assembly here.

The motion was proposed yesterday to ensure the two incumbents will not be challenged at the upcoming Umno elections, which must be held by May 19.

It had been reported that Umno was split on whether a contest for the top two posts should be held, with some saying it risks dividing the party, and others arguing that it would allow president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy, Mohamad Hasan to prove that they have the support of the grassroots.

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Zahid the ‘albatross’ around Umno’s neck, says Ramasamy

PETALING JAYA: Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy says Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will remain a thorn in the flesh for Umno and the unity government so long as he remains president of the party.

This comes after Umno’s general assembly yesterday passed a motion to not contest its president and deputy president posts in the party polls, which must be held by May 19.

“Zahid might have emerged unscathed temporarily, but he seems to be the ‘albatross’ around the neck of Umno and to some extent, Pakatan Harapan (PH) or the unity government,” Ramasamy said in a statement.

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Umno’s no-contest motion valid, says Ahmad Maslan

PETALING JAYA: Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan says that the motion for the top two posts not to be contested at the upcoming party polls is valid, adding that legal advice was obtained on the matter.

In a statement, Ahmad said he had sought legal advice from the party’s lawyers after the motion was proposed by a delegate from Negeri Sembilan and supported by a delegate from Terengganu at the Umno general assembly on Friday.

“They (the lawyers) said that the proposal follows Article 20 of the party’s general assembly rules,” he said.


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Only Zahid loyalists will believe no-contest is for party unity, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: The “excuse” that the top two posts in Umno should not be contested for the sake of preserving party unity will only be accepted by loyalists of party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, says a political analyst.

Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk of Universiti Sains Malaysia said party members, division chiefs and state chiefs who were aligned with Zahid and his deputy, Mohamad Hasan, would believe the “excuse”.

“These state chiefs are appointed by the party president, so it is only natural for them to support him,” he told FMT. “These people rally behind the party president, but what the party grassroots really want is unknown.”

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Democracy, freedom of speech dead in Umno: Noh Omar

KUALA LUMPUR – Former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar has revealed why he did not vote in favour of the motion tabled during the party’s recent general assembly seeking to disallow contests against the top two positions in the Barisan Nasional linchpin.

Confirming the matter in a Facebook post in the wee hours this morning, the party veteran said he had voted against the proposal as he was concerned about how the move would negatively impact democracy in the party. 

He also expressed his worry over how youth voters might distance themselves from Umno if it fails to defend democratic rights, in light of allegations made by youth party leaders claiming they were dropped as speakers at its general assembly.

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