230,000 delegates to determine leadership of UMNO wings today

About 230,000 delegates from the three UMNO wings - Wanita, Youth and Puteri - will choose their leadership at the divisional and national levels when the delegates' meeting and election of the respective wings are held simultaneously at 191 divisions today.

The meetings-cum-elections will definitely be keenly watched by party members and political observers as for the first time, it will involve a large number of party grassroots members who are given the right to chooose who to lead them for the next three years.

The UMNO elections this time use the electoral college system following amendments made to the party constitution in 2009, aimed at giving a bigger say to party members from the 191 divisions in choosing the party leadership in a more transparent and democratic manner.

Besides that, the renewal in the transformation process in the party is also aimed at stemming the scourge of money politics, which is seen as a cancer for this major Malay political party in the country.

The proceedings tomorrow will begin with the delegates' conference of each of the three party wings before it is adjourned for the election process of the Wanita, Youth and Puteri divisional executive committees and national executive committee (exco).

It will see 110,765 Wanita delegates, about 70,000 Youth delegates and about 50,000 Puteri delegates carrying out their responsibility of choosing their respective movement's leadership.

According to the UMNO Election Committee 2013 chairman, Tan Sri Tajol Rosli Ghazali, the elections of the three party wings tomorrow would see 51 eligible Wanita candidates contesting at the national level and 6,758 at the divisional level.

As for the Youth election, 94 candidates will be contesting for posts at the national level and 7,125 at the divisional level. For the Puteri wing, the figures are 35 and 4,955 respectively.

Interestingly, there will be stiff contests among candidates for the No. 1 and No. 2 posts of all the three wings.

The Wanita wing will see the incumbent, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil being challenged by Raihan Suleiman Palestin and Datuk Maznah Mazlan for the top post, while current UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar will face a five-cornered contest.

For the Puteri UMNO head posts, the contenders are Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, Jamilah Hanim Othman and two new faces, following the incumbent Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin not contesting as she is over the age limit now.

According to UMNO executive secretary Datuk Abdul Rauf Yusoh, the results of Saturday's elections were expected to be known as early as 8pm if the process went on smoothly.