PETALING JAYA: Umno’s party elections are crucial for providing clarity among grassroots on the party’s leadership and direction, an Umno Youth leader said.
Wan Agyl Wan Hassan said while the party polls can be held at any time within six months after the conclusion of the last general election (GE15), the sooner the elections are held, the better.
He said it was important that the Umno leadership explained its decision to be a part of the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim as soon as possible.
“It is also important for the leadership to hear the grassroots’ voice on Umno and Barisan Nasional’s (BN) worst performance at a general election,” the federal territories Umno Youth information chief told FMT.
Wan Agyl said the upcoming Umno general assembly, which will take place from Jan 11 to 14, must be used to provide clarity on who should lead the party in the next five years and into the next general election (GE16).
“Now, the direction seems unclear and many are not happy with the decision made by the leadership because of bad internal communication,” he said.
Yesterday, former Umno Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz said he saw no reason for the party polls to be postponed any longer, adding that all party positions should be contested.
He also scoffed at the statements of Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Yunos and Pasir Salak Umno deputy chief Khairul Azwan Harun, who suggested that the two top posts in Umno should not be contested and that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should be retained as president for another term.
Nazri said those who had called for the top two posts to be uncontested had undermined the capabilities of Zahid as president, and Mohamad Hasan as deputy president.
Wan Agyl said there was nothing stopping party members from tabling a motion preventing Umno’s two top posts from being contested.
“I believe the party will allow the motion to be discussed but it must be presented to party representatives nationwide for a vote,” he said. “But I still believe we should open all positions to be contested.”
Wan Agyl added that the party was mature enough to choose the right leaders but it must be left to the majority to decide in order to uphold democracy within Umno.
Earlier today, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan reportedly said that the Supreme Council had yet to make a decision on whether the posts of president and deputy president will be contested in party elections. He said there was still time for the council to deliberate on the matter. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.