Ketereh MP Annuar Musa wants the Umno polls to proceed so that the newly elected leadership will by extension also be endorsed as Umno's prime ministerial and deputy prime ministerial candidates.
The call came amid attempts by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's faction to postpone the party elections in June.
Zahid's pro-Perikatan Nasional opponents took a beating at last weekend's Umno annual general assembly (AGM) as he pushed an anti-PN and anti-Bersatu narrative and received a mandate to cut ties with them for the 15th general election.
The Umno election will be Zahid's opponents' last attempt to mount a challenge against his leadership.
Annuar said the Umno constitution set a three-year term for the party's leadership and the term for the current one will expire in June.
"As a party that firmly complies with the rules and relies on the voice of the grassroots, we will not hesitate to allow the grassroots to determine the leadership.
"God willing, the prime ministerial and deputy prime ministerial candidates will be decided in June by Umno members.
"Umno will choose a president and deputy president who have the character and qualification to become the prime minister and deputy prime minister when the time comes," he said.
During the BN era, the Umno president and deputy president traditionally occupied the top two posts in the federal government.
However, the gravity of power has now shifted to Umno's splinter party Bersatu after Umno was defeated in the 14th general election (GE14).
Umno rejoined the government after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government last year but Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin remains the prime minister and he had also declined to appoint a deputy.
Zahid's uncertain future
Several Umno leaders were appointed as ministers but not Zahid who is facing graft charges.
The corruption charges have also put Zahid's position as the prime ministerial candidate in doubt if Umno wins the next general election.
Zahid plans for the Umno-led BN to clash with the Bersatu-led PN at the next polls. The Umno AGM approved Zahid's wish to sever ties with Bersatu in the next general election.
However, the Umno president has indicated that the party may quit before the general election if Muhyiddin tries to extend his government's tenure beyond the emergency which expires in August.
Muhyiddin is widely expected to call for fresh polls in August amid his fragile majority in the Dewan Rakyat. His current emergency-period government does not need a majority to govern.
However, Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also the defence minister, reiterated that the resolution approved by the Umno AGM was to remain with the PN government until GE15.
He pointed out that there was nothing about quitting earlier than that.
“Actually, no decision was made during the Umno general assembly that ordered the ministers, menteri besar, deputy ministers, excos, and government-linked company chairpersons to withdraw from their positions. There is none.
“At the general assembly, the resolution passed was one that was endorsed by the supreme council and that is to remain in government until Parliament is dissolved,” he was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail.
Apart from the resolution to cut ties with Bersatu when Parliament is dissolved, another resolution approved at the Umno AGM called for the general election to be expedited. - Mkini
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