It’s just 13 branch leaders out of 20,000, says Umno VP

The call by the 13 Umno branch leaders for party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign, meant little as there are 20,000 such leaders nationwide, Umno vice president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today. "They were 13 out of 20,000," he said, in a cynical tone. Zahid, in dismissing their call, added that he has yet to view the memorandum said to have been submitted by the 13 branch leaders. "We will go through it in detail when we do," he told reporters at a press conference after officiating the National Consumers Day celebration in Kuala Lumpur today. Yesterday, 13 Umno branch chiefs from Telok Kemang in Negri Sembilan declared 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. Led by Umno branch chief from Taman TKK, Kamarul Aznan Habibur Rahman, the group of leaders said it was time for the party to embrace change and it must start from the president, Najib who is also the prime minister. "We are of the opinion that it is better for the president to step down so that Umno will not be the victim and be punished by voters in the next general election," he said. Kamarul added that the 13 grassroots leaders did not fear any action taken against them because they were the ones who had put the party leadership in their current position. Meanwhile, Telok Kemang Umno chief Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad reportedly said the 13 branch chiefs have disrespected a "mutual decision" to support the party leadership at a recent division meeting Isa told Malay daily Sinar Harian that the grassroots leaders had the right to speak out and 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. Isa said it was the branch leaders' right, but it was not done in 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.]]>