Party leader’s candidacy depends on Zahid, UMNO election chief says

Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman reminded the UMNO leaders who are critical of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that their selection to contest in the upcoming general election rests on the party president. UMNO elections director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said that Ahmad Zahid remains the president until the GE 15 since the party’s internal poll has been delayed.

He said that they should not be careless in mocking and threatening the president as the constituency they wanted to get would be determined by the president, that is, if they still wanted to be a candidate. He noted that Zahid is the chairman of the BN (Barisan Nasional) coalition and that they will have to meet with him in time.

The president holds the decision whether he wanted to remain in his position until 2023 as he has the entitlement by the supreme council to do so through a motion to defer party elections until 2023. “If I’m the president, (keep) bashing me, you are done,” he was quoted saying.

It has been previously said by Tajuddin that UMNO has already made a decision to officially postpone its internal election until 2023 and that Ahmad Zahid will remain in his position as the party president until then. It has been reported that Tajuddin said all except two UMNO supreme council members has given their approval in delaying its party election through a “circular resolution”.

In UMNO’s Annual General Assembly (AGM) previously held, information chief Shahril Hamdan has called for the party leaders to stop opposing each other but instead, focus on the party’s agenda. He added that the internal conflicts occurring within the party is creating contradicting statements leading the grassroots to be in the dark.

The party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan also given advice to drop the people within the party who are actually enemies. In his speech during the AGM, Tok Mat has chided and accused them of only using UMNO for their personal agenda, but stopped short of naming them on stage.