Puteri Umno wants new members allowed to contest party polls

The Puteri Umno movement is pushing for new members and younger leaders to contest in the upcoming party polls.

To achieve that, it is requesting an exemption to a rule that required all candidates to be party members for at least three years.

Puteri Umno chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said she has appealed to the Umno supreme council to allow those with less than three years experience as members to contest in its upcoming party polls.

Mas Ermieyati said her wing had attracted many new members who were keen to contest but faced a restriction to do so under Umno's constitution.

"We are asking the Umno supreme council to relax the rule and grant a special exemption to all levels.

"Maybe there are those who joined for eight months or one year, allow them to contest for any positions except for the chief and vice-chief," she told a press conference after chairing a Puteri Umno exco meeting at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Among others, she said her wing had through its Adinda programme launched in December 2015, targeted and attracted new members who are between 18 and 25 years old.

The Masjid Tanah MP also announced that the Puteri Umno wing has endorsed four of its leaders to contest for an Umno supreme council seat.

The four are Puteri Umno secretary and senator Fahariyah Md Nordin, its assistant treasurer Hazreen Begum, Kota Tinggi Umno Puteri chief Azilah Atan and central exco member Dira Abu Zahar.

Mas Ermieyati earlier revealed that Dira was among potential candidates from Puteri Umno who did not fulfil the minimum three-year membership requirement as stated under the party constitution.

When met later, Dira confirmed she was about two months short of the required three years membership.

At the same time, she also expressed confidence the matter could be resolved by the Puteri Umno and central leadership.

"They will have to weigh the consequences.

"If the good outweighs the bad then I don't think there would be an issue for changes to be made to the party's constitution," she said.

On May 22, Umno acting president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Umno elections at division level would be carried out from May 19 to June 10, followed by elections for the wings' chiefs on June 23, and the Umno supreme council elections on June 30. - Mkini