THE Umno Supreme Council is expected to decide at its meeting today if it will hold its party polls this year or after the 15th general election.

Many of its leaders were seen entering the party headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre to attend the meeting, which began at 4pm.

Among them were vice-presidents Khaled Nordin and Mahadzir Khalid, its election director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

They were joined by Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, Zahidi Zainul Abidin, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Azalina Othman Said, Ahmad Puad Zarkashi and Abdul Azeez Rahim.

Today, Mingguan Malaysia reported that Umno’s party election, which is slated for June, could be postponed.

The report said a source told the Malay-language weekly that this was due to concerns over the rise in new Covid-19 cases in the country. 

“Umno is well aware of the worrying Covid-19 situation. However, the issue of party polls should be hashed out in the meeting. But the decision will not necessarily be made tomorrow,” the report quoted the source as saying.

“We do not need to rush it. We have to take into account the rights of all members to vote in the election. But the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases has raised the question of how the election will be executed.”

Umno has adopted a one division, one vote system, where all the delegates in the divisions are entitled to vote in the contest for Supreme Council positions.

The division elections can only be held after the branches meet and elect their office-bearers.

This provides a challenge, especially the bigger divisions like Lahad Datu, which counts 46,570 delegates, Semporna (40,296), Libaran (38,131), Gombak (37,851) and Baling (37,512).

The Health Ministry over the last week has consistently reported more than 2,000 new Covid-19 cases daily.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said on April 11 whether the party goes ahead with the party election or postpones it to after the next general election will be decided at its meeting in Ramadan.

Several party leaders, including Annuar Musa, Khairy Jamaluddin and Reezal Merican, have urged the party to go ahead with the polls and not postpone them.

They felt that fresh polls will resolve internal party conflicts before the next general election and offer voters a fresh slate of faces to lead. – April 25, 2021.