KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Umno information chief Isham Jalil has challenged those who intend to contest the top two party positions to announce their candidacy now at the party’s annual general meeting (AGM).
“We (Umno) do not prevent anyone from running for the party’s highest office, i.e. president, deputy president and vice president of Umno, but it is better to announce it earlier; there is no need to hide or talk behind the scenes.
“Anyone who wants to contest, don’t hide, we don’t want a movement that requires friends to work at night. It’s not long, only three or four months until the election date,” he said.
He added that the party has not amended Umno's constitution to prevent anyone from contesting.
“In fact, PAU is the best platform for challengers to announce their competition since representatives from all states are here, the earlier the announcement the better,” he added.
Earlier today, former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin criticised calls to block any attempt to contest for the party’s top positions, calling it “madness” and undemocratic.
The former federal minister who was forced to swap his Rembau parliamentary seat for Sungai Buloh and lost for the first time in last November’s general election had previously hinted his ambition to run for the Umno number one or number two post.
Khairy’s objection referred to calls by 126 Umno division chiefs that the party elections in May should exclude the two top posts, currently held by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan respectively.
Khairy has openly questioned Zahid’s suitability to lead Umno since the latter succeeded the disgraced former prime minister after the party suffered its first general election defeat in 2018.
Zahid’s faction is seemingly keen on circumventing any challenge for the presidency on the grounds that a contest could break an already divided party.
Rival factions have opposed the proposal, saying Umno needs to rejuvenate by electing a new line of leadership that is seen as clean, as they blamed Umno’s worst-ever electoral defeat at the November general election on the corruption scandals tainting the party’s top leaders.
Zahid, now a deputy prime minister in the coalition government led by his former Umno ally Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is currently on trial for dozens of graft and money-laundering charges involving a foreign visa system contract when he was home minister, and a charity foundation he founded.
