Put loyalty pledge on paper, says Mukhriz

(The Star) – JITRA: All Umno members should be made to sign a letter swearing that they will remain loyal to the party and work hard to ensure the party’s candidates win in the next general election, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said.

The Kedah Umno deputy liaision committee chairman said he was proposing the idea following the loyalty oath by Umno delegates during the party’s general assembly which ended on Saturday.

“Making the oath verbally is not enough. We need to put it on paper so that it will be legally binding. Action can be taken against them if they break the oath.

“The letter will ensure that there’s no backstabbing or sabotage of party candidates,” he said after opening a 1Malaysia Shop in Padang Serai here.

Asked about winnable candidates for the next election, Mukhriz, who is also Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister, said the party should not focus only on young faces as there were still senior politicians who were much loved by young voters.

“Our candidates must include professionals with a good education background and they must be willing to give their best to the people.

“There is no point having professional candidates who are not willing to work hard and be on the ground with the people,” he added.

Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said winnable candidates should be those well accepted by the rakyat.

“What if a candidate is young but not acceptable to the people?

“It is important for members to close ranks at all levels and focus on achieving victory for the party,” he told reporters after opening the RTM Sports Festival in Merlimau, Malacca, yesterday.

Bernama quoted International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed as saying that leaders, especially Barisan Nasional ones, should search within themselves to see if they were still acceptable to the people.

If they felt that the people had rejected them, they should allow the leadership to choose new candidates to replace them, he told reporters after opening the Kubang Kerian Agrobank branch and the handing over of tithe to Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council in Kota Baru yesterday.

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in Bagan Datoh that about half of the candidates’ winning ability would be determined by their skills in solving problems faced by their constituents.

He said the party’s three vice-presidents had been tasked with monitoring constituencies facing problems and working on solving them ahead of the next election.