Najib leaves it to party members to decide transition date

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has left it to the Umno members to decide when the transition of power within the party should take place.
”As everybody knows, the transition plan was decided upon in July by the Prime Minister and myself and was endorsed by the (Umno) supreme council.
“I’ve held meetings with the Umno divisional chiefs and I’ve stated that the plan must get the support of the Umno divisions, especially at this year’s delegates meetings,” he said Friday after opening the the Guangdong-Malaysia Business Conference here.
”So, because Umno is a party that practises democracy, the matter must be decided by the party members through its internal process, namely at the divisions’ annual meetings,” he said.
Under the plan, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is to hand over the posts of prime minister, Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president to Najib in June 2010.
On Wednesday, Umno vice-president and International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin called on both leaders to reconsider the 2010 transition plan as he said the time-frame was too long.
On Thursday, Abdullah said that he was surprised by Muhyiddin’s statement as the transition plan had been understood and agreed upon by the Umno supreme council and the cabinet. - Bernama

tunku : i thought it has been agreed so why najib wants the members to decide about the date? later pak lah will say that he is surprised by najib's statement as he said about muhyiddin. may be najib is taking the first step and indirectly asking the divisions to nominate him as the president.