AMENDING the Umno constitution to compel office-bearers who have been convicted in court to give up their posts will leave the party open to internal sabotage and fractionalisation, members said.
They fear that such an amendment to Clause 9.9 of the party charter would not only affect the top leadership, but its impact would be felt all the way down to divisions and branches.
They said the party leadership should think it through before pushing for the change, and must ensure that the clause is not abused should the change come through.
“If you want to amend the clause to remove leaders from their party posts if they have been found guilty by the court, then there should not be a problem,” said a source, who asked not to be identified.
“But even so, there must be in-depth discussions about this. It cannot cover all types of convictions.”
If the clause is amended to cover all types of convictions, he said, it would lead to the unfair sacking of elected leaders, especially if they were found guilty of lesser offences or if they had been framed.
“What’s the situation if a divisional chief is charged in court for petty offences, like smoking in public or failure to pay a parking summons?”
He added that the party must make sure that the amendment is not aimed at removing certain leaders.
“If it is merely to get rid of a certain leader, it is not necessary. This will cause division in the party.”
The source did not deny the possibility that the amendment was proposed as a subtle ploy to get rid of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and other senior leaders, including former president Najib Razak, who has been charged in court with power abuse and corruption.
Zahid, who took over the party helm after the general election last May, handed over his duties to his deputy, Mohamad Hasan, in December, following pressure to resign.
His critics had said he did not have any ideas to uplift the party after its defeat in the polls.
Former Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and former Sabah chapter chief Musa Aman are two other party stalwarts facing criminal charges in court.
Party veteran Mustapha Yaakub last week revealed that an amendment to the Umno constitution has been proposed to make it obligatory for party leaders to resign from their posts if they are convicted of a crime.
It is learnt that the proposal has yet to be forwarded to the Umno Supreme Council for consideration.
“I deliberately made the proposal public so that everyone is in the know and made aware in advance of the implications of the amendment being passed,” Mustapha told The Malaysian Insight.
He said members should not be “caught off-guard at the last minute”.
He said if the proposed amendment is to be brought to a special assembly for a vote, it would cause the party to be split between those who support Zahid and Najib, and those who wish for drastic reforms.
He also questioned the move for such a change, as “everything’s fine in the party now”.
“Why muddy the waters? Umno is intent on the unification of its members. Najib has his own schedule, which is not in conflict with the party’s.
“The one who is supposed to set the direction for the party is not moving himself. He’s only brave when he’s among his own circle.”
It is unclear to whom he was referring.
Mustapha said he did not know the purpose of the proposed amendment, but believes it would be rejected if brought to the extraordinary general meeting in November.
Any amendment to the party constitution requires the support of two-thirds of delegates present.
At this stage, Mustapha said, the amendment remains a proposal being studied by the constitutional amendment committee, and has yet to reach the Supreme Council for deliberation.
The committee is chaired by vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who is collating members’ feedback on the proposed change.
On Wednesday, party secretary-general Annuar Musa said it is too early to talk about the amendment, as nothing has been finalised.
“The process is long, and it will be discussed at the highest level until the proposal is finalised. The reports we have read, which were written by certain people, are just speculation.”
A resolution passed by the Supreme Council in May 2009 allowed party members on trial for criminal offences to be suspended, pending the resolution of their cases.
However, after last year’s general election, Annuar said the resolution is no longer applicable in the case of Zahid and other Umno leaders as the party is no longer in government.
Meanwhile, another top party source said the proposed amendment will apply only to those guilty of criminal and corruption offences.
“The proposal will kick in only after the convicted person has gone through all the channels of appeal and is still found guilty.”
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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