KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has calling for his party Umno to hold its internal elections this year in order to resolve its internal issues ahead of the next general election.
In a social media post, he said that the party election which is scheduled for later this year must go through to ensure solidarity in facing the upcoming 15th general elections.
“Do not postpone elections until after GE15. It needs to be held this year. Umno must head into GE15 with strong leadership that has a clear plan and can win the support of the people.
“Do the right thing Supreme Council. You know we cannot continue like this,” he said.
Khairy said this two days after Umno held its general assembly, where it was decided that the party would cut ties with Bersatu, calling all Umno ministers in the current Perikatan Nasional (PN) Cabinet to step down from their positions.
Speaking to the press after the conclusion of the party’s 75th annual general assembly this weekend, its President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the motion introduced to the delegation and the party leadership to sever ties with Bersatu was unanimously accepted.
Zahid also said the party was considering another ultimatum, which is to immediately withdraw support for Perikatan Nasional the moment the Emergency is lifted on August 1 or earlier, but added that this will be discussed at length in the next supreme council meeting.
The party had also trained its guns at so-called “traitors” within the party during the general assembly, with Putrajaya Umno deputy chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz suspended for six years for criticism against the party’s top leadership.
