Umno elections: Feedback from grassroots needed

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno should seek the views of its grassroots leaders before deciding whether to postpone party elections, said supreme council member Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo.
He said most of the time, decisions were made at the top without getting feedback from the ground.
He said the general election results showed how important it was to take into these opinions into account.
"We need to study this -- whether members want change. We want to know what exactly is happening on the ground. For me the best way is to go back to the branch chiefs and ask them what they think," he said when contacted on Wednesday.
Dr Khir said going to just the state liaison or divisions chiefs to get their views was not adequate as this might not reflect the exact sentiment on the ground.
"We must go back to the people and take it to them. Our weakness has often been our top-down approach. We need to get a broader perspective and seek the perception of the grassroots leaders on the ground who have been working really hard for the party.
"If their views are sought, then the people on the ground too will feel appreciated," he added.
On Tuesday, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said all state liaison committees had met president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over the weekend and agreed to call for the postponement of party elections until next year.

No need to defer Umno elections, says NS Mentri Besar


SEREMBAN: The Umno polls scheduled for August need not be deferred, said party supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Mohamad, who is also Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, said it made no sense to postpone the party election as it would still need to be held later.
"Why defer the elections? If you defer it now, wouldn't you need to hold it at a later date?" he asked.
Stressing that it was his personal view, Mohamad said if the party was facing problems, there was no reason to run away from them.
"I am one who believes we should never run away from problems. If we really have problems, we should solve them in the true Umno spirit.
"The last thing we should do is sweep whatever problems there may be under the carpet," he told reporters after chairing the exco meeting at Wisma Negri near here.
Mohamad was commenting on a statement by party information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib on Tuesday that the party election may be postponed to next year.
Mohamad said if it was up to party members to decide if the party should remain relevant.
"Umno members must be rational and unite for the sake of the party. If you have personal agendas, then there are bound to be problems," he said.
Mohamad said if the polls were deferred, it could cause more unnecessary problems for the party

Puteri Umno supports party election postponement...then retracts it four hours later

Four hours after supporting calls for the Umno elections to be postponed to next year, Puteri Umno made a complete u-turn and called for party polls to be held as scheduled.
Reporters who covered the Malaysia Career and Training Fair Press conference in the morning had asked Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad whether the movement agreed with calls within Umno for a postponement of the election.
“Yes, because Umno needs time to address both it’s internal and external problems first. These problems can be resolved but not necessarily through party elections,” the Deputy Minister of Human Resources said . “The party needs time to adjust, especially since the dust from general election had not really settled. There is no urgency. Once we are back to normal, then only we should hold the party elections.”
However, four hours later, Noraini not only retracted her statement but called for party elections to be held as scheduled.
“Although the party has until June next year to hold the elections, Puteri Umno is of the opinion that party elections should be held by this year,” she said in a faxed statement.
Noraini said if at all the elections could not be held by August as originally scheduled, then it should take place by December at the latest.
Throughout the afternoon, Noraini did not answer calls to her handphone but later sent a text message to a Berita Harian reporter explaining the sudden change of stand.
“No need to prolong. Better to hold the meeting early. Please look at the constitution,” the text message read.

tunku : that's the problem, everytime decision are made just by the top leaders without consulting the members.for the first time negri's mb talk with some sense.i wonder why the complete u-turn by noraini?anyway it was a good u-turn.