Umno racing against time to stay alive

With looming internal bickering and even possible deregistration, Umno’s fate is now in the hands of the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government which it previously mistreated.

(MMO) – Umno has directed its more than 10,000 branches to conduct their annual general assemblies (AGMs) and elect new office bearers before the Registrar of Societies (RoS) can take any action against the party.

Umno, which forms the backbone of the recently toppled coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), had lapsed in holding its internal elections twice — putting it at risk of de-registration.

The party has since directed its branches to conduct the AGMs, which must be completed by June 6, after which the 192 divisions will hold their AGMs and elections.

Meanwhile, the party also faces another mammoth task in its national-level AGM, which is expected be held by the end of August, as members have lamented the lack of leaders who can replace the present line-up.

Compounding the headache is the dilemma plaguing many members and leaders at the branch and division levels — whether to stay steadfast with Umno’s struggle or jump to splinter Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), which has yet to even be registered.

For as long as it has existed, Umno has always been the ruling party, with its experience of being in opposition only at the state level.

Now high on members’ minds is the worry about how to fund and conduct their activities as an Opposition party, with not only empty wallets but also a lack of direction.

Division and branch leaders are also at a loss as to how many members Umno actually has, since while some had registered and paid their membership fees, there were also those registered who shunned such AGMs.

This feeds the conundrum of why the three million members who were supposedly registered with the party did not come out in full strength to vote for Umno in the recently-concluded polls.

Some branch chiefs have said they would resort to conducting AGMs and elections merely with just enough members to satisfy the quorum requirement.

With looming internal bickering and even possible deregistration, Umno’s fate is now in the hands of the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government which it previously mistreated.

Umno now hopes RoS will allow it to complete the process to adhere to the registrar’s requirements, or the party risks being consigned to history.