COMMENTARY, April 28 — Umno will hold an extraordinary general meeting on May 15 to insert a clause into its party constitution that will let it hold an internal election after a general election.

This is so Umno will not face any problems with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in the future.

Without the amendment, Umno has to write to the RoS for permission to allow it to hold its internal election after the general election.

If it doesn’t get permission, the party will have no choice but to hold internal polls even if there’s a potential clash.

The Malay nationalist party is due to hold its internal election in December even as speculation continues to spread that GE15 will be called this year too.

Umno, which leads the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, is perceived as making headway after winning the recent Johor and Melaka state elections.

However, leaders of disparate political parties at odds with the BN are considering how to team on to take the coalition and more specifically Umno head-on. This includes fellow Pejuang and Bersatu.

Given the scenario of a possible giant coalition of parties to face off against the BN one-on-one, Umno is keen to prevent its ranks from splintering further.

Umno’s unity may not be as solid, considering its vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the prime minister while party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is on trial for corruption.

A split at this point will prove disastrous for the party at the general election and may prevent it from returning to power.