Ali Rustam’s appeal rejected, now up to the supreme council
(Suara keADILan) – As expected, the Umno appeals panel has rejected Malacca Menteri Besar Mohd Ali Rustam’s plea to overturn a disciplinary board decision barring him from contesting the deputy president’s post.
The appeals panel’s decision will be passed over to the supreme council, which has to decide whether to confirm or reverse its ruling.
Panel chairman Mohd Zuki Kamaluddin said the punishment meted out to Ali Rustam would take immediate effect.
Ali, a rank-and-file party veteran aligned to outgoing president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was banned from contesting after he was found him guilty of being involved in vote-buying ahead of next week’s annual assembly and internal election.
Purge outraged members
The move was widely seen as a purge of leaders close to Abdullah by supporters of incoming party president Najib Abdul Razak.
Najib and his mentor, former premier Mahathir Mohamad, have publicly said that they are against any move to lift the ban.
Ali was the odds-on favourite to win the deputy presidency and his disqualification will pave the way for Muhyiddin Yassin, the Trade Minister favoured by Najib to become the No 2.
However, a third candidate Muhammad Muhammad Taib might spring a surprise and pip Muhyiddin to the post. Like Ali, Muhammad Taib is also perceived as an Abdullah loyalist.
He is expected to benefit from a groundswell of sympathy votes from party members outraged at the cavalier treatment handed out to the hugely popular Ali Rustam.
Umno veteran and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has warned that Ali had the right to prevent the party election from taking place.
“The disciplinary board barred Ali Rustam from election without suspending him from the party. However I do not see how they may bar him from contesting so long as he remains a member of the party. The Societies Act defines the “eligibility to hold office in the committee or governing body of the society,” along with the right to vote, as a constitutional right of every member.
“The disciplinary board can remove certain privileges but not rights provided by the constitution. Umno’s constitution cannot be interpreted contrary to the Societies Act.
“Mohd Ali can appeal to the Registrar of Societies to put a stop to the Elections if he is unlawfully deprived of his eligibility for office. At the very least, his appeal against his punishment needs to be heard before the party elections commence next week,” said Razaleigh in his latest blog posting.
