Endorsement

PM: ‘I’m not backing Ali Rustam for Umno dep president.’

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied he was throwing his support behind Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam to be the new party deputy president.
Asked if his comments in Sabah recently on Mohd Ali were an indication to divisions not to pick Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who has been very vocal, Abdullah said: “No no. That’s not right.”
Denying that he had his choice candidate for the post, the Prime Minister explained that he had only been saying that any member had the right to contest the post.
“I have been saying to so many people that if you want to contest, go ahead. If people ask me about him (Ali Rustam) contesting, I say ‘let him contest-lah.’ There is nothing wrong with that.
“I am just voicing out that people have the right to contest the post. That’s all. Nothing more than that,” he said on Friday after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting.
In Sabah a week ago, Abdullah had criticised vice president Muhyiddin over comments made on the long campaign period for the party polls.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that the Malacca Chief Minister had the right to contest the deputy president’s post, which seemingly resulted in Mohd Ali picking up a number of nominations the following day.
Muhyiddin, the favourite for the deputy president’s post, is already eligible to contest the post, while the two other interested aspirants Mohd Ali and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Ali have yet to qualify.
A candidate for the post needs to secure a minimum of 39 nominations from the 191 divisions. Muhyiddin has 65, Mohd Ali has 23 while Muhammad has 17.
When met after the supreme council meeting, Mohd Ali said, he was confident of being able to secure the numbers.
On his take on the surge of support for him lately, Mohd Ali quipped : “because you started supporting me, it’s getting better.”
Mohd Ali who is a vice president stressed that he was only contesting for the deputy president’s post.
Recently the Parit Sulong division nominated him as vice-president. “I think the division sayang (loves) me,” he said.
Muhammad too was confident of his chances.
The former Selangor Mentri Besar said there were 12 more Selangor divisions that had yet to meet and he was confident of securing their nomination for the party’s number two post.
“Which means I need only another 10 more to qualify,” he said.
He said withdrawing from the deputy president’s race was not in his vocabulary.
Some 85 more divisions have yet to have their meetings. They have until Nov 9 to complete their meetings and make their nominations.

Hishammudin: ‘I endorse no candidate for Umno youth chief.’

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said he has not endorsed any candidate for the movement’s top post.
He said his Sembrong division’s nomination of Khairy Jamaluddin as Youth chief should not be seen as his endorsement of Khairy.
“I think what is important is to see that the nominations this time around are coming from the ground.
“Eighty per cent of the nomination divisions were decided based on votes and that’s a new phenomenon for Umno and I think it’s a good sign to reflect the wishes on the ground.
“No, I don’t think it’s an endorsement. I think nobody today is in a position to endorse anybody because at the moment the ground is beginning to really make its voice heard,” he told reporters on Friday after the supreme council meeting.
Hishammuddin was asked if his Sembrong division’s nomination of Khairy was an indication that he wanted his deputy Youth chief to succeed him.
For the March party election, Hishammuddin is vacating the Youth Chief post and moving up to contest one of the vice-presidency spots.
Khairy who is the current deputy Youth chief is moving up to contest the Youth top post.
He will battle Mukhriz Mahathir and Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo in a three-way contest.
Last week, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s Pekan division gave its nomination for the Youth chief post to Mukhriz, while Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Kepala Batas division picked Khairy - both nominations were seen as endorsements of these two leaders.
On the three-way contest, Hishammuddin said he looked at it positively provided that those contesting it do not look at it as a “personal crusade.”
“They also have to look at it as a bigger picture, not only in the context of Umno but also in the context of Barisan Nasional. The Umno youth leader leads the Barisan Youth,” he said.
To another question, Hishammuddin, who is Education Minister, said they were in good hands with Najib as the incoming leader.
He believed the deputy Prime Minister was in the right position to take over as he had dealt with many issues and was experienced and had the ability, support and confidence of those who he was going to lead.
“It is incumbent on those around him - Youth, Puteri and Wanita - and also Barisan component parties to give him the support. A man is only effective if he has the support of those who are going to struggle with him in the coalition,” he said.
As for the party polls, Najib has been securing all nominations for the Umno presidency. He looks set to win the post uncontested over the weekend when more divisions meet and make their nominations.
On the handing over of the reins of power from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Najib, he said, this should be done in a dignified manner.
“Nobody is being rushed into this. There is a process we have to go through. We have to give respect to our leaders so that the transition is done in a dignified manner for the credibility of not only our leadership and party but for Malaysians in general,” he said.

tunku : both of them never meant what they said.it is their endorsement.any ali,chong and muthu knows that pak lah favours ali rustam(hates muhyiddin) and hisham favours khairy.those with brains will never nominates leaders like mat taib.i hope the remaining selangor divisions will use their brains instead of emotion.