SELANGOR, Perlis and Terengganu Umno are unhappy with the party headquarters’ choice of leaders to head their states but are nowhere close to resolving their own disputes either.

Umno chapters in these states have reluctantly accepted the leadership of the party’s vice-presidents, pending their own selection of leaders.

Selangor is headed by Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is from Pahang and also Bera division chief; Terengganu is headed by Mahdzir Khalid from Kedah; and Perlis is headed by former Johor menteri besar Khaled Nordin.

All three were appointed to the task by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after the party elections 2½ months ago.

While the arrangement is temporary, a few party sources said the Umno chapters themselves could not agree on a state liaison chief of their choice.

Ismail said there was still no date for him to hand over leadership of Selangor to a new state chief but the party headquarters had decided not to rush or interfere in the process.

“It’s up to the states. We will not decide for them how to choose. 

“They may want to hold a vote or they may want to decide through discussion and consensus, it is up to the state. But after that, they have to inform the party president as the appointment is made by the president,” Ismail told The Malaysian Insight.

Ismail’s appointment was criticised by Selangor’s 22 divisions which blamed Zahid for failing to consult them.

But other sources say blaming Zahid was convenient and the truth is that some divisions chiefs are fighting one another for the top state post.

“Those who oppose Ismail are just a few. They are those who thought that they could get the post of state chief after Noh Omar relinquished the post,” said a Selangor division chief, who did not want to be named, referring to the former minister who was previously the Umno state liaison chief.

“But those who are fighting for the post, they contested and lost in GE14. So they should realise that even the people (voters) don’t accept them. If Umno wants to be relevant again, we need new faces that have more charisma,” the division chief said.

Umno grassroots leaders in Perlis and Terengganu are facing similar problems.

In Perlis, former Arau Umno division chief Ismail Kassim said members were questioning how Khaled, who led the Umno-Barisan Nasional campaign in Johor but lost the state to Pakatan Harapan, could be given the task of heading a state that Umno won in the May 9 elections.

Besides Perlis, BN now controls Pahang.

Ismail, the Tambun Tulang assemblyman who quit Umno and is now an independent, said Khaled’s appointment to head Perlis is seen by some as “punishment” for “betraying” Zahid in the June party elections.

Of the three Umno divisions in Perlis, Arau and Padang Besar supported Khairy Jamaluddin as president against Zahid. Only the Kangar division supported Zahid’s bid for top post.

As for Terengganu, Umno secretary-general Annual Musa, who hails from the state and is Ketereh MP, said more time should be given to members there to find a leader everyone could agree on. – September 11, 2018.