Ahmad Maslan: Decision on Umno polls likely in Ramadan

 

The decision on whether the Umno election will be held as scheduled this year or postponed is likely to be made this Ramadan, said Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan.

He said this was because the party's supreme council will meet in Ramadan which is expected to begin on April 13.

“We will hold the meeting in the month of Ramadan - which will most likely start next Tuesday. But we have not set the date yet.

"I think, in the meeting, it will be decided when we want to hold the party election.

"Whether or not there is a party election, it depends on the supreme council. In the Umno constitution, the supreme council has the right to decide,” he said in a "Terus Terang" live interview session broadcast by Umno Online last night.

For the record, Umno party polls should be held every three years. The last one was on June 30, 2018, shortly after the party lost federal power for the first time.

This current term of Umno leadership will end on June 30.

Keeping to PM's 'GE15 promise' 

However, the Umno constitution also allows the supreme council to postpone the election for a period of not more than 18 months from the date the polls should have been held.

Ahmad said that quite often in the past, the party election would be postponed if it falls on a general election year.

He added that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin also promised to hold the general election this year.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan

Ahmad said the promise was made to about 80 lawmakers last December, a day after the 2021 Budget Bill was approved for the third reading.

"The day after that, there was lunch, the prime minister mentioned to those present, that the election would be next year. That is this year.

"So I always stick to the prime minister's statement, because to me, the prime minister is not lying, especially when he speaks to more than 80 MPs, from Umno, Bersatu, PBS (and others)," he added.

“So if people ask when the general election is, I think I am sticking to the prime minister's promise to us - still this year," said Ahmad who went on to question if Muhyiddin would keep to his promise.

Despite being one of the parties involved in the Sheraton Move last year that resulted in the replacement of the Pakatan Harapan federal government without an election, Umno is also one of the parties that has persistently demanded national polls be held to hand over the mandate to the people.

Since taking over the reins of the country's administration, Muhyiddin's majority in the Dewan Rakyat has often been called into question.

Further, the premier had received brickbats from the opposition and Umno for declaring a state of emergency, thus causing Parliament to be suspended, even though MPs have been among the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The government cited the need to curb Covid-19 as the reason for declaring a state of emergency, effective from Jan 11 to Aug 1.

Muhyiddin has dismissed allegations that he is afraid to hold fresh polls and had promised to call for the 15th general election (GE15) once Covid-19 is under control. - Mkini