Umno should not bar contests for president's post, says Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno should not stop any member including Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from contesting the party president’s post, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The vice president said the party needed rejuvenation and this should be done at all levels.
Likening the quota system of nominations to contest top posts in the party to a fence which kept people out, Muhyiddin said some even wanted to build a wall around the fence by pushing for a no-contest for the top two party posts.
“Is this good for democracy in Umno? Is the party president post so sacred or sacrosanct that it cannot be challenged?” the International Trade and Industry Minister asked during a session with the KL Chamber of Commerce here Monday.
He said problems would only get compounded if “inefficiency and ineffectiveness” were protected by building such walls and fences to safeguard those already inside.
“It’s not that I am asking for Pak Lah (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) to be challenged but why should we stop Ku Li from exercising his right to contest? “ he said.
“Let’s be open about it. It’s time for Umno to be mature and brave enough to face reality. What are you afraid of? This will help restore the image of Umno.
"It’s not that I want to be vocal but I just want to try and correct things (which are not right),” he said, adding it was not just members but the whole nation that was looking at the party because it led the government.
Under the Umno constitution, anyone who wants to contest for the presidency needs to secure at least 30% of the nominations from the 191 division; 20% for deputy presidency and 10% for vice presidency.
Muhyiddin also said some divisions had called for the quota system to be abolished or reduced to just two nominations, but their numbers did not warrant for an extraordinary general assembly to discuss and adopt a new system.
He pointed out the supreme council itself could also change the quota system if the leaders felt there was some interest in it.
“But I don’t see any feeling around the (Umno supreme council) table to say that this is urgent. "Maybe the interest is not there. That is what I sense. It’s not coming from the president or from other people. So obviously it will not be discussed,” said Muhyiddin who heads the Umno committee on the constitution.
When the Prime Minister announced that he would be handing over power to deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in mid 2010, he also said that he and his deputy would be defending their presidency and deputy presidency posts respectively.
Although the power to nominate lies in the hands of the divisions, a number of state liaisons committees such as those from Selangor, Penang, Malacca, Terengganu, Perlis and Pahang, have come out to say that the divisions in their states would nominate Abdullah and Najib for the top two posts.
On a different matter, he said, the Malay entrepreneurs, in view of the challenging economic environment, had asked the government for help in expediting loans and licensing and asked for the now-defunct bumiputra participation unit at MITI to be revived.
“I think that is a reasonable request. People are feeling the pain because of the difficult times so we need to make it easier for business to thrive,” he said, making it clear that the bumiputra entrepreneurs were not asking for grants or subsidies.

States' Endorsement Won't Prevent Divisions From Naming Other Candidates - Muhyiddin

IPOH, July 14 Bernama) -- The state Umno liaison committees' announcements to nominate Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as party president and deputy president respectively in the December party elections, will not prevent the divisions from naming others as candidates.
Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who said this, also stated that naming candidates was the divisions' right, and not the state's or party Supreme Council's.
"The statements of support by Umno leaders at the state level are just to make a stand, but the divisions are the ones which will determine the candidates for the top posts," he said after a session to explain the Umno code of ethics to party members here Monday.
Muhyiddin was asked to comment on the announcements by six state Umno liaison committees -- Melaka, Selangor, Terengganu, Pahang, Penang and Perlis -- to nominate Abdullah and Najib for the top two posts.
The International Trade and Industry Minister said it was up to the respective states' leadership to state their stand but some states had not done so.
"What is important is what contained in the party constitution, that the right or ultimate power to nominate candidates for the top posts lies with the divisions.
"It had happened before where some divisions still made their own nominations even after the Supreme Council decided that certain posts not be contested.
"Therefore, the declaration of support by the state liaison committees should not hinder or discourage any division from naming its own choices as candidates," clarified Muhyiddin who also chairs the party's Constitution and Rules Committee.
"The decision lies with the members because as a democratic party, Umno's nomination process starts from the bottom, that is, the branch level."
Muhyiddin also reiterated that he would only announce at a suitable date, whether he would defend his vice-president's post after three terms or vie for a higher post.
Meanwhile, Perak Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali said Perak Umno had not met to discuss its stand on the party's top two posts.
Anyway, he said, declaring support would be meaningless if the divisions did not abide as making the choices lay with them.
Perak has 24 Umno divisions.

tunku : we have move forward in every way and it's time that umno move or step forward into the new horizon. the quota system should be demolished asap let anyone contest any position they want to. end of the day it's the delegates which will decide and vote their prefered candidate. muhyiddin is telling us what najib suppose to tell us. now i have doubt that najib will be a better pm as he's not showing any sign of it till this moment. at least muhyiddin is brave enough to voice out even he had been bashed by khairy and co because questioning the time frame of the transition. we hope that the umno members will stand up and do the right thing this time.this is their golden chance to make a difference and bring umno out of darkness.