ID :
288894
Tue, 06/11/2013 - 12:46
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/288894
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Will The Umno Election Provide Leaders Who Can Meet Party Grassroots And People's Aspirations?
By Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar
KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Bernama) -- Following the conclusion of the 13th
general election recently, attention has been focused on the coming political
party elections including that of United Malays National Organisation (Umno),
the biggest Malay-based party in the country, which is also leading the ruling
National Front coalition or Barisan Nasional (BN).
The Umno election which will be using a new system following amendments to
the party constitution in October 2009, will determine Umno's direction
henceforth in facing the next general election.
Under the amended party constitution, the nomination quota for the top posts
- from Surpreme Council member post right up to president - were abolished,
hence providing the biggest opportunity for any party member to contest with the
minimum condition of having been a member of the Supreme Council or divisional
committee for at least one term.
However, the question is whether the coming election of a political party
with some 3.2 million members can provide leaders capable of meeting the
needs
and aspirations of its grassroot members and the people at large.
Some political analysts and party leaders feel that for Umno to remain
relevant, fresh and mature in tandem with the political transformation agenda,
the party election this time should make room for new faces to contest, hence
creating echelon leaders capable of facing future challenges.
Acording to Assoc Prof Dr Samsul Adabi Mamat of Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM), the Umno election this time is crucial, considering that Umno is
the pillar of BN and heading the national leadership.
He said that unlike the elections of the other BN component parties, the
Umno election inveterably determined that the individuals winning the party
president and deputy president posts would be appointed as prime minister and
deputy prime minister respectively.
For the first time in the party's history, Umno will see 146,500 delegates
from 191 divisions directly electing its top leadership. Before this, only 2,500
delegates had been making the choice at the party's general assembly.
"The abolition of the quota and increase in the number of delegates who will
be voting is a transformation process in an effort to improve the quality of the
Umno leadership.
"This huge democratic space provided by Umno should be taken advantage of by
the party members to choose leaders who are really qualified and acceptable to
the people to helm the party, hence strengthening Umno," added Samsul Adabi,
from the university's Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, when contacted.
However, there are those who feel that to get leaders capable of meeting the
aspirations of the grassroots and acceptable to the general public, all the top
party posts including the president, should be contested.
Supporting this view, Samsul Adabi said to people outside the party, having
contests for important party posts would show real democracy in Umno.
"What the people actually want to see are contests for these posts. After
the party election had been put on hold for a few years, there are however those
clamouring for the president and deputy president posts to be uncontested. This
does not reflect what is desired as contained in the party's new constitution.
"Having contests for the main party posts will also determine that the
leadership chosen is acceptable to the party grassroots and the 'rakyat'
(people)," he said.
Will the Umno election this time also able to attract more people from
outside the party, especially the young generation, to support Umno?
Samsul Adabi opined that if there were contests for all the top posts, the
party would be able to win back the support of the middle-class voters who were
said to have rejected Umno, besides giving the message that the party was really
serious about transformation.
However, there have been calls of late coming from some party leaders for
the party president post, currently held by Najib Razak, and the deputy
president post, held by Muhyiddin Yassin, not to be contested this time.
This is because the two leaders had managed to increase the number of
parliamentary seats won by Umno from 79 in the 2008 general election to 88 in
the recent 13th general election.
The question of whether the two top posts should be contested has received
mixed reaction from Umno leaders as there are also those who want the quota
system be re-introduced.
Samsul Adabi said the coming Umno election should indeed be the best
platform towards empowering and strengthening Umno before facing the next
general election.
Umno Youth deputy chief, Razali Ibrahim said a party election showed healthy
democratic practice in Umno and the maturity of its members in choosing leaders
to steer the party.
"What is important is for Umno to reflect maturity and real democracy. I
hope the election this time will go on well no matter what, as we want to show
transparency, integrity and democracy," he said.
Puteri Umno (Female/Youth) head, Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said the
abolition of the quota system which was unanimously supported by the party
members, gave the message to the general public that Umno was serious about
change, besides giving the members total freedom to choose the party's top
leaders.
"The outcome of the Umno election will reflect that the party's leadership
is the grassroots' choice," she said.
-- BERNAMA