Umno’s annual meeting agrees to no-contest for president, deputy president
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Umno president Zahid Hamidi (centre) and his deputy Mohamad Hasan (right) at the party's annual assembly on Wednesday.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
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KUALA LUMPUR - Umno delegates at their annual assembly have passed a resolution on no-contest rules for the party’s top two positions
The resolution was passed by the majority of the 5,000-plus delegates at the party’s annual assembly at Umno’s headquarters. The annual meeting of Malaysia’s longest ruling party is closely watched.
The no-contest resolution means that Umno president Zahid Hamidi, and deputy president Mohamad Hasan, cannot be challenged at the polls.
Zahid is Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister in the Anwar Ibrahim administration, and Datuk Seri Mohamad is the Defence Minister.
Other Umno posts – including for the three vice-presidents and the wing chiefs – remain open for contests.
Terengganu Umno’s state liaison chief Ahmad Said said on Saturday that over 90 per cent of the delegates supported the no-contest resolution, while less than 10 per cent rejected it.
He added: “The no-contest motion will allow Umno to consolidate its strength ahead of the six state elections held in 2023. We do not want Umno to be in disarray due to an intense internal poll.”
Six Malaysian states will elect their assembly members this year:
Umno information chief Isham Jalil also confirmed the passing of the resolution in a Facebook post, saying it received support from the majority of the delegates.
Just before the voting, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who has said he might mount a challenge for the president’s post, claimed that name tags of many delegates were removed from the main meeting hall. He claimed this was a prelude to the no-contest proposal to be bulldozed through despite reservations by some members.
But Zahid said during a news conference at the conclusion of the four-day assembly on Saturday that the no-contest resolution was done in accordance with the party’s Constitution.
“There was no hanky-panky (as Mr Khairy claims). There is no question of us being afraid to contest. The no-motion contest came from the grassroots,” he said.
Umno vice-president and former Malaysian prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the no-contest decision may have breached the party’s charter. “The party’s Constitution states that the selection of post holders shall be done through an election,” he told reporters. He belongs to a rival faction from Zahid and had led Malaysia for 13 months until the November 2022 general election.
Still, Datuk Seri Ismail added that there is another school of thought that “Umno’s general assembly, which is the highest decision-making platform, has the right to pass any resolution”.
Umno delegates last approved a no-contest for the two top positions at the 2017 assembly,
The party’s last internal polls were held in June 2018, after the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition lost power for the first time in a Malaysian general election. Najib stepped down as president and Zahid contested and won the post,
Today, with just 26 MPs in the 222-strong federal legislature, Umno is at its weakest after a drubbing at the Nov 19, 2022 federal polls.
