AHMAD Zahid Hamidi has told rebel Umno lawmakers not to stand by watching while the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government punishes their party over supposed breaches in postponing party polls.

The party president said that the party secretary-general had given a detailed explanation to the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) on the decision to adjourn the polls, and yet a decision has been made against the party.

Zahid’s message was directed at Umno lawmakers and ministers who had decided to support Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin despite the party’s decision to withdraw support from him and PN.

Following the decision, the RoS, which falls under the Home Ministry and helmed by Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin, announced that Umno’s decision to postpone its elections was invalid.

“Are they (Umno lawmakers and ministers) going to back PN, led by Bersatu president Muhyiddin, and allow the PN to act against their own party?

“I urge them to turn over a new leaf and realise that our political struggle is for the people and country,” he said in a statement today.

On Friday, RoS director-general Jasri Kasim said the Umno Supreme Council’s decision to postpone the Supreme Council, division, and branch elections, which were scheduled to take place on July 7, was invalid.

“The decision is invalid because the term of the Supreme Council office bearers for 2018/2021 had ended on June 30,” he had said.

Zahid also said Umno would not stay silent over PN’s attempt to weaken the party.

“We know what to do and we will not be silenced,” he said.

Yesterday, Umno secretary general Ahmad Maslan said RoS had agreed in principle to allow Umno to postpone its party elections.

The Pontian MP said at a virtual press conference that Umno was advised by its lawyer that it only needed to notify RoS on the decision made by its Supreme Council on the postponement of elections.

Ahmad said Umno also sought the advice of the Health Ministry and the National Security Council in reaching that decision.

He explained that the Umno Supreme Council decided on February 19, 2021, to postpone the party elections. The decision was announced by Zahid on July 8.

The Umno election was supposed to be held last year, but has been postponed for 18 months due to the movement-control order in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Umno party elections take place every three years. The previous one was held on June 30, 2018.

In his statement today, Zahid also explained that Umno decided to postpone its elections due to the technical issues it would face in conducting virtual polls during the pandemic.

He said Umno elections involved 66,287 meetings of 3.3 million members.

He said such meetings could not be compared to parliament meetings, which could be held with strict standard operating procedure.

Umno leaders are divided into two groups, with the smaller one led by Zahid opting to withdraw support for Muhyiddin, wiping away the prime minister’s thin majority in Parliament.

The larger group, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, has backed the prime minister, adding that they would wait until the confidence motion to be tabled in Parliament at the next sitting next month.

Zahid’s group has the support of about 15 Umno MPs, including two ministers who last week resigned from Muhyiddin’s cabinet.

Ismail meanwhile said he has the support of the rest, including four MPs from the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Umno MPs make up 38 of BN’s 42 lawmakers, with the Grik seat being vacant following the death of its lawmaker last November. – August 8, 2021.