Kuala Lumpur: A motion not to have any contest for the posts of Umno president and deputy president has been passed at the party’s general assembly here.
The motion was proposed yesterday to ensure the two incumbents will not be challenged at the upcoming Umno elections, which must be held by May 19.
It had been reported that Umno was split on whether a contest for the top two posts should be held, with some saying it risks dividing the party, and others arguing that it would allow president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy, Mohamad Hasan to prove that they have the support of the grassroots.
Zahid had previously said he would leave it to the delegates to decide whether the two posts should be contested.
The motion was passed through a voice vote. Following this, delegates who opposed the motion were asked to stand.
Earlier today, former Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin had claimed that the motion would most likely be “bulldozed” through when it came up for voting.
In a TikTok video, he alleged that name tags on the chairs of delegates were removed to bring in “imported delegates” to bulldoze the motion.
However, Umno information chief Isham Jalil denied the claim, saying that Khairy should be aware that delegates attending the general assembly know each other.
Yesterday, when the proposal for the motion not to contest the top two posts was made by a delegate, boos were heard in the hall.
