Umno 20 trying to oust Najib just sore losers, says Noh Omar

Selangor Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar says there is little support for a movement trying to remove the party president. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 28, 2015.

The Umno branch chiefs who launched a movement to oust Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday are sore losers, says Selangor liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

He said the 20 branch leaders who took part in last night’s press conference have their own reasons for doing so and none represented the aspirations of the grassroots.

“Let’s study first the position of those branch leaders within their divisions. Are they the groups that do not agree with their divisions?

“Maybe in the past, they lost in their division... When they lose, they keep to themselves and do not get involved in division programmes.

“(Hence) they are just a disappointed bunch. Some are unhappy with their divisions,” Noh told The Malaysian Insider today.

Yesterday, a group of Umno branch leaders launched the “Gabungan Ketua Cawangan Malaysia” or “Coalition of branch chiefs Malaysia” (KGCM), aimed at pressuring Najib to step down as party president.

GKCM said hundreds of Umno branches have thrown their weight behind the cause, but declined to identify them for safety reasons.

But Noh dismissed the movement, saying the party has a system in place to voice out the concerns of the grassroots, such as through motions.

“There is a procedure. The motions from the branch level are brought to their divisions. And as far as I know, in all the meetings of the Umno divisions, all the motions support the leadership.

“Even at the branch level, they must first be brought to the division, and the division will decide on it.”

Noh added the motions raised for debate at the annual general assembly next month represented the voice of the majority.

“If there are 100 branches in a division, and two or three branches say that the motion is no good, the decision rests with the majority.

“If it’s just an ordinary branch leader talking, he’s just representing himself,” said Noh.

He said it was up to the divisions and Supreme Council to act against the 20.

The launch of KGCM comes less than a fortnight ahead of Umno’s general assembly.

The Supreme Council earlier this week announced that one of Najib’s critics, deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, would not be officiating the wings’ meetings.

The decision to break away from a long-standing tradition prompted Muhyiddin to declare he would not be silenced. 

Muhyiddin was dropped from the Cabinet in late July, following his criticism of 1MDB, the prime minister’s brainchild.

Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said earlier this week the general assembly would be off-limits to the media to prevent “spinning”, but later retracted the decision.

- TMI