13 Umno chiefs broke agreement to back Najib, says Isa Samad

The 13 Negri Sembilan Umno branch chiefs who yesterday urged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down from leading the party have disrespected a "mutual decision" to support the party leadership at a recent division meeting, Telok Kemang Umno chief Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad said. Malay daily Sinar Harian reported Isa as saying that while the grassroots leaders had the right to speak out, they should have done so during the Teluk Kemang division meeting recently. "Supposedly, if they don't support the party president (they) should have said no in the meeting recently, when tabling the motion of support for the party leadership," Isa was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "Their actions (yesterday) are disrespectful of the mutual decision that was agreed upon," he said, adding that all branches had anonymously stated their support for Najib. The 13 are heads of Umno branches in Teluk Kemang in Negri Sembilan. Led by Kamarul Aznan Habibur Rahman from the Taman TKK branch, they yesterday held a press conference to declare that they had lost confidence in Najib's leadership and urged him to step down as party president in order to restore Umno's credibility before the next general election. Kamarul said it was time for the party to embrace change and it must start from its president, Najib who is also the prime minister. "It is their right, but this is not the right way. These people can't be leaders because (they) have no principles," Isa said to Sinar Harian. The 13 Umno branches are Kampung Linggi, Taman Selasih, Taman PD Utama, Taman Dato' Abdul Samad, Sua Betong, Kampung Teluk, Sungai Sekawang, Bukit Tembok, Taman Intan Duyung, Taman TKK, Kampung Pachitan, Bunga Raya and Taman Poli. – October 25, 2015.]]>