Umno No.2 can't open meets
Published on: Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Kuala Lumpur: In a break from tradition, the Umno Deputy President will not open the party's Wanita, Youth and Puteri general assemblies next month. The Umno Supreme Council decided at a meeting Tuesday that these assemblies will be opened separately by their respective chiefs. Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the council arrived at the decision after considering proposals to that effect from the three wings.ADVERTISEMENT "The opening (of the wings' general assemblies) will be conducted separately. This was decided following proposals from the respective wings at the meeting."That is what they want, and we respect that," he said after chairing the meeting of the council at Committee Room 2 of the Parliament temporary building here.Umno Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Vice-President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal were not spotted attending the closed-door supreme council meeting which lasted for about 90 minutes from 6pm. Najib, who is the Prime Minister, said the council made the decision on the opening of the wings' general assemblies because it wanted to ensure a cordial and positive Umno general assembly from Dec 8 to 12. ADVERTISEMENT " ... so, this was among the decisions that we made, that the Wanita, Youth and Puteri general assemblies will be opened by their respective chiefs," he said. Also at the news conference, Najib announced that the council decided unanimously to expel Gopeng Wanita Umno chief Datuk Hamidah Osman from the party for indiscipline.
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"The decisions we made today give importance to the running of our party in all aspects; we want our party to be strong and continue to earn the trust and confidence of the people. Hamidah who was former Wanita Umno information chief had been vocal in demanding Najib's resignation, and was in early September reported by Malay daily Sinar Harian as saying, "Don't tell me three million members need to sacrifice for the sake of one man. It should be the leader who sacrifices for the sake of the party's three million members."She had urged Najib to accept the reality that the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal had compromised the people's trust in Umno. Another party member, who was sacked this year, was Langkawi Umno member Anina Saadudin after she took Najib to court to account for the RM2.6 billion donation he received into his personal accounts. The two leaders were unable to attend the meeting because they are currently abroad.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He added that there was nothing "extraordinary" for the supreme council to hold its meeting today at the Parliament building, noting that the House is currently in session and this would enable the lawmakers to make it for voting.News of the move, a departure from the council's traditional meetings on Fridays at the party's own headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre, had initially prompted speculation over the change.