SELANGOR Umno is in need of capital but is split over whether to sell the party’s state headquarters in Shah Alam, with those against the sale believing it will send the wrong message to members.

Sg Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos, Puchong Umno division chief Satim Diman and Hulu Langat Umno division chief Johan Abd Aziz are against the sale.

“The building symbolises our presence here. We say we want to capture Selangor back from Pakatan Harapan but we will betray this principle if we sell the building,” Jamal told The Malaysian Insight.

The sale is now being considered, whereas it was not on the table previously.

After losing the general election last year, Selangor Umno decided it would rent out its properties to help fund party operations and programmes.

Umno’s bank accounts are also frozen, following investigations into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The Malaysian Insight reported previously there had been two entities, a bank and a hotel, which expressed interest to rent the building.

However, as of June this year, the property’s sole occupant is Selangor Umno, taking up a few floors of the nine-storey building.

Jamal said the party’s financial crisis can be fixed by selling other assets, including old buildings in Kuala Lumpur that are not symbolic or significant to the party.

“Sell other assets with no Umno logo on it. Selangor Umno members will not approve of the sale of our building,” he said.

Maintenance issues in the Selangor Umno building could be addressed if all 22 divisions in the state chip in with finances, he said.

However, if the party does decide to sell it, Jamal said he would move for a vote of no-confidence against Selangor Umno liaison chief Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan.

“If this goes ahead, I will make sure he will be replaced because he is not fit to lead.”

Meanwhile, another division head said the decision to sell the building had already been made when Selangor Umno was headed by party vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail was appointed to lead Umno Selangor for a period after the party’s defeat in the 14th general election last year.

The division head, who declined to be named, said the decision was made at one party management meeting where it was agreed that other party assets be liquidated to fund operations, including the Shah Alam building.

In the same meeting, it was also decided that Umno would only use part of the building, with the remaining space to be rented out.

“That was the decision that we use one or two floors and rent out the rest.

“However, under the new Selangor Umno leadership, the first thing they want to do is sell the building,” the source said, adding that those in the state chapter who want to sell the building are not handling the matter transparently.

All Selangor Umno division leaders were called to a briefing by a real estate agent about how the sale would proceed, if that was to be the decision.

They were informed that some of the profits would be used to buy smaller office buildings, the source said, adding that the signatures of those who marked their attendance at briefing were used in another document to indicate consent to its sale.

Those in charge at the briefing refused to disclose the name of the potential buyer.

“The current leadership is adamant about selling it, but they are still not saying it out loud because they have been criticised.

“Those who attended the briefing suspect something is wrong. There are too many secrets and our attendance at the briefing does not mean we agree to the sale,” he said.

Not selling is a matter of pride, he added, as Selangor Umno should be showing voters that it’s working to wrest back the state from PH, instead of selling buildings.

Barisan Nasional lost control of Selangor in the 2008 elections. – December 13, 2019.