Hold party polls to win back trust of members, say Umno grassroots leaders
(The Malaysian Insider) – The best way for Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak to regain the trust of his party is to reinstate party elections, which were postponed, said Umno grassroots leaders.
Getting a fresh mandate from the members would also help quell any dissatisfaction within Umno that has intensified after Najib broke convention to drop Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as deputy prime minister. Muhyiddin is also Umno deputy president.
Although the party’s Supreme Council had decided to postpone elections, which had been scheduled for next year, the polls can still be reinstated if there were enough demands from the party’s 199 divisions.
Kulim Bandar Baharu division chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir said Muhyiddin’s removal from Cabinet has affected sentiment among Umno members towards the postponement of the elections.
This is because the Umno grassroots feel invested in who gets to become the country’s deputy prime minister as by Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) convention, the post goes to the party’s deputy president, he said.
“(In the last party elections) 140,000 Umno delegates were given the right to elect the president, deputy and the vice-presidents.
“When he is elected, the Umno president becomes the BN chairman and he goes on to become the prime minister,” said Aziz, who is also Kulim Bandar Baharu MP.
At the same time, there is a perception that Najib removed Muhyiddin because of the latter’s comments on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue, he said.
“There are voices that say it was unfair of Najib to remove Muhyiddin because of the 1MDB issue. This is because 1MDB is a problem to the government and to Umno, and it creates a very negative perception among the public.”
Members also feel differently about Muhyiddin’s removal compared with that of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as in that case, the decision was due to the latter’s moral and personal problems, he added.
Aziz said a reinstatement of elections and going back to the grassroots for another mandate could heal the rift in the party and remove distrust towards Najib.
“If we don’t (reinstate elections) the rebellion could continue and this would not be good for Umno. (If elections are done) there will not be a need for the grassroots to feel distrust, dissatisfaction and anger.”
