Kuala Lumpur: Umno members should respect delegates’ decision Saturday to have no contests for the party’s top two positions, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid said the delegates and party’s permanent chairman Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruldin had conducted the matter according to the the party’s constitution and rules of the Umno general assembly.
“The general assembly is the highest body in Umno and it is written in the constitution itself.
“So, the recent decision is the ultimate decision as I have said in statements that both of us (president and deputy) have entrusted to the delegates.
“I am confident that the matter was referred to the Umno legal advisor, who is also the Umno disciplinary board chairman, who, as a legal practitioner, knows well the order of the meeting and other rules and regulations provided by the constitution,” he said after the conclusion of 2022 Umno assembly at the World Trade Centre.
Zahid also rejected allegations of irregularity in the voting, saying the delegates as representatives of Umno grassroots has made a decision for party’s unity.
“They are the grassroots who want the unity and unification of the party to be prioritised,” he said.
Zahid also announced that the disciplinary board will look into the allegations from former Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin about “imported delegates” who went inside Dewan Merdeka in order to support the motion.
Delegates voted through the motion for the party’s presidency and deputy presidency to be uncontested during the internal election that must be held before May 19.
Umno vice president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob disagreed with the motion saying the move could contravene the party constitution.
The former prime minister said there were two “schools of thought” when interpreting the motion.
He said that although the Umno general assembly was the party’s highest decision-making body, the motions it adopted still could not go against what was in the Umno constitution.
“Based on another clause in the party constitution, party elections must be convened every three years or postponement must be conducted through grassroots or divisions level.
In other words, ‘shall’ also means ‘must’. If it says ‘may’, then you have an option,” he said.
“So, although the assembly has decided, because the constitution states that elections must be held at the divisional level for all positions, then the assembly cannot make a decision that is ultra vires,” he told reporters.
Ismail Sabri said the matter could be referred to the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
Asked if he would report the matter to the agency, however, Ismail said, “No”.
Ismail Sabri added that the decision not to allow challenges for the top two posts would reduce the trust of young people towards Umno.
