Umno wings propose delaying party polls until after GE

KUALA LUMPUR - The heads of two wings of Umno, which is currently ruling Malaysia as part of a loose alliance, have mooted changing the party's Constitution to effectively prevent Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from being party chief as the country heads into the next general election.

Datuk Seri Ismail, who is vice-president of Umno, is the first Malaysian premier who is not the leader of his party.

A party election would have been his best chance to take over as Umno chief. But the proposed constitutional amendment pushed for on Thursday (March 17) was aimed at securing the position of current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who, along with his predecessor Najib Razak - part of the party's so-called "court cluster", or leaders fighting graft charges - is pushing for snap polls.

A general election is not due until mid-2023.

Both the Puteri Umno and Umno Youth wing chiefs proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow every party election to be carried out in tandem with one election cycle - something that has already been done by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a member of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition.

"We would like to propose that party elections only be held after general elections, like MCA, to avoid any attempts to weaken the party," said Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki while officiating his wing's assembly on Thursday.

A similar motion was raised almost simultaneously by Puteri Umno - the women's youth wing - led by Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan during its assembly.

"We urge an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) be held during this AGM (annual general meeting), to amend the party Constitution so that party elections can only be held after each general election," Madam Zahida said.

Umno currently holds party elections every three years, while a general election is scheduled to take place every five years.

The election in Umno is overdue after Zahid's three-year term lapsed last year. The party has been granted an extension by the Registrar of Societies until the end of this year to hold party polls.

The proposals by both wing chiefs will now be submitted to Zahid and Umno Supreme Council members who will deliberate over possible motions that will be presented at the main assembly on Friday.

If approved by the assembly and subsequently ratified at an EGM, the move would secure Zahid's position as president regardless of when the next general election is called, and keep Mr Ismail at bay.

Deputy president Mohamad Hasan on Wednesday urged an election to be held as soon as possible while opening the Umno wing assemblies, and his call was echoed by both Datuk Asyraf and Madam Zahida on Thursday.

The push for snap polls has gathered momentum on the back of resounding wins by the Umno-led BN in at least two state elections. It won a two-thirds majority at the Johor state legislative election last Saturday just three months after a similar result in Melaka.

BN believes that holding snap polls this year would allow it to return to power with an outright majority just one term after its historic loss in the 2018 general election.

But Mr Ismail, along with several other Umno leaders - mainly those who are holding positions in the current administration he leads - have resisted such calls.

Mr Ismail's current government consists of both BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) members and only has a four-seat majority in Malaysia's Parliament.

The Umno women's wing chief Noraini Ahmad, who is minister for higher education, on Thursday told the party to be cautious about snap polls, saying that it should keep in mind the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) that Mr Ismail had signed with the biggest opposition bloc Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Signed in September last year, the CSA saw the government promise various democratic reforms in exchange for PH's support in key parliamentary votes, especially over the budget.

The agreement also effectively guaranteed that Mr Ismail, who can count on only a four-seat majority in Parliament, will remain in power until at least August this year, allowing him to see out a year in office.

"We have to be reasonable in anything we do, I trust the top leadership will make the best decision in suggesting the right time to call for elections," Datuk Noraini said.

At least two delegates at the party assembly, which is due to end on Saturday, also told The Straits Times that it was important for Umno to resolve internal divisions first before rushing to dissolve Parliament.

"Looking at our track record, we are ready. But at the same time, we shouldn't be hasty," said Mr Ahmad Adlan Jaffar, the delegate from Subang Jaya, in Selangor.

"There is no point in winning the election if we don't fix the cracks within the party first, (if left unchecked) there will be more problems later on and a possible power struggle would ensue. I'm sure the top leadership is aware of this," he added.

Another delegate, Ms Raja Khaisara Raja from Kulim, in Kedah, said differences between some Umno leaders were "jarring".

"I'm confident that we will win if we go to the polls now. But I want us to resolve whatever issues or differences our leaders have, especially with the Prime Minister, before we move ahead," she said.