Umno special meeting discussed election preparations: Division leader Jamal Yunos

Leaders of Malaysia’s largest party Umno discussed election preparations at a special meeting in the capital on Monday (Aug 22), with the majority of them wanting polls to be held as soon as possible, said Sungai Besar division chief Jamal Yunos.

Datuk Seri Jamal said the last-minute meeting of all division chiefs at Umno headquarters in the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur was attended by 158 leaders out of its 191 divisions nationwide, with some from Sabah state unable to attend.

“This call by the (division) leaders is to call for the election at the earliest time. This decision will be forwarded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob,” he said.

Asked if there was any compulsion for the Prime Minister to call an election, Jamal responded that there was none.

Datuk Seri Ismail, one of three vice-presidents in the party, was not present at the meeting, as he had other matters to attend to, said Jamal.

He also confirmed that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and deputy president Mohamad Hasan were present. Another vice-president, Datuk Seri Mahadzir Khalid, did not attend the meeting.

Speculation was rife that the meeting, which began at 11am, was being held ahead of Parliament being dissolved and snap elections called.

“We were surprised by the last-minute call for a meeting,” said Jamal. “We initially thought the meeting was held because Parliament was going to be dissolved and they were going to call for an election but that was not the case.”

He said he was not sure why the meeting was held at such short notice, but that the party leadership said it was best to hold it on Monday to “show how serious we are”.

Jamal said the agenda included a briefing session on preparedness for the next general election, which must be held by September 2023, and the party’s machinery at the division level.

He also said the division leaders had a dialogue session to convey their election needs to the leadership. “It has been some time since we met with the top leaders, even though it came as a surprise to many,” he said.

Jamal also denied that there was any discussion of former prime minister Najib Razak’s ongoing appeal at the Federal Court against conviction for graft involving SRC International. Najib faces 12 years in prison if he fails to overturn the conviction at this final appeal.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES