Free passage idea mooted even for VPs

The enlarged voter base of 146,500 (instead of 2,500 delegates previously), makes for an interesting Umno elections this time.

COMMENT

By Syed Nadzri Syed Harun
Contest or no contest? Practically everyone is asking this of the momentous and defining Umno elections coming our way so soon after the rather stormy national vote.

Latest we heard there are moves to press for a no-contest ruling for the top five positions in the party — president, deputy and the three VPs. Is that good or bad? Or potentially double-edged like many political steps of late?

The Umno elections, to be conducted for the first time under a new format, begin at the protracted branch level next month (an estimated 18,000 branches), followed by voting in the crucial 193 divisions from September which would ultimately decide on the standings of the party’s main office-bearers, including the top five.

This will culminate in the main event, the general assembly, the date of which has yet to be fixed. But possibly in late October or November.

The outcome of the 13th general election last month has brought forth all kinds of opinions and comments regarding the Umno polls and the position of its top officials, one of which is that there should be no contest for the top posts including for the three VPs so as to “strengthen the party.”

The argument is that GE13 had become too divisive for the whole country and to some extent even for Barisan Nasional (BN). So Umno, as the pillar of the BN, must restore the strength by remaining solidly united — and that means avoiding contests for the main positions in the party elections.

Overall, BN floundered in GE13, winning only 133 of the 222 parliamentary seats, seven less than in 2008. In addition, there was a clear decline in support from the urban communities, causing Chinese-based BN partner MCA to decline representation in the government.

Statistically, Umno on the other hand recorded an improvement in the number of seats won, both at state and federal levels, hence the asssertion by some that Umno should remain steadfast and go for status quo.

This appears to be a hard bargain, firstly because while it has become quite common for the post of president or, to a lesser extent, deputy president, to be declared a no-contest zone by consensus, the fight for the three VP seats have over the years always been tough and trying, through a vote.

In the last round for instance, there were eight contenders but the ones who finally got elected were Hishammuddin Hussein, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Shafie Apdal.

It is hard not to see the same propensity for a keen contest again this time.

Wide race
More so since the new election format has done away with the restrictive condition requiring a quota of nominations as a qualifying mark — 57 for president (meaning, a person could only contest if he got at least 57 nominations), 38 for deputy president, 19 for VP, 10 for supreme council and so on.

The revamp has opened up the arena wide and that anyone can now contest for Umno president provided he has been nominated and that he has been either a supreme council member or a divisional committee member for at least one term.

Veteran member Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, for instance, can contest without having to wait, like the last time, for divisions to openly nominate him.

This, plus the enlarged voter base of 146,500 (instead of 2,500 delegates previously), makes for an interesting Umno elections this time. Added to that of course are the post-GE13 comments from significant figures which have a bearing on the Umno polls.

Compared to the aftermath of the 2008 GE, there is a lot less bashing this time against the powers behind Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN). But underneath the muffled sounds came a few significant ones from figures such as Daim Zainuddin who is said to share much sentiment with influential party elder Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In a press interview recently, Daim made no bones about some of the things the top BN leadership should not have done in the run-up to GE13, like his admonition of the prime minister’s advisors. And this is seen by some as a signal for changes when the Umno elections come.

Some people say Daim was trying to be clever after the event. But significantly, as with comments from a few other veterans in their blog entries, many others agree with him.

The continuous attacks on strategies attributed to certain advisors engaged by the BN leadership provide strong ammo for a keen contest ahead.

The Umno elections in its new format will be just the right platform for action, they maintain.

Syed Nadzri is Redberry Group media advisor. Feedback: syednadzri@redberry.com.my.