UMNO elections: Saifuddin suffers surprise defeat

Former Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who was Temerloh UMNO deputy chief, suffered a surprise defeat from his challenger, Nor Azmi Mat Ludin who made a comeback after five years.

Saifuddin, who is also UMNO Supreme Council incumbent, received 205 votes while Nor Azmi garnered 251 votes. Another challenger, Datuk Akhbar Abu, received 194 votes.

Saifuddin was seen as among the few UMNO leaders who possessed progressive views in politics and was vocal in bringing forth change towards a new political culture and landscape.

In his Twitter, Saifuddin congratulated his opponent and said he accepted the delegates' choice.

Sy mengucapkan tahniah kpd Azmi Mat Ludin yg dipilih Tim Ketua UMNO Temerloh yg baru. Sy akur keputusan perwakilan.
— Saifuddin Abdullah (@saifuddinabd) October 19, 2013

He, however, hinted his loss to stem from him not being involved in money politics.

@suffikamari sy redha, sebab sy tak main politik wang :)
— Saifuddin Abdullah (@saifuddinabd) October 19, 2013

@RajaMohdShahrim sy kalah. Tp sy redha sebab sy X main politik wang.
— Saifuddin Abdullah (@saifuddinabd) October 19, 2013

"@sloganesh: @saifuddinabd sorry for the defeat.. U r a liberal and genuine leader actually..hmm @ruzails" I didn't use money politics. RT
— Saifuddin Abdullah (@saifuddinabd) October 19, 2013

Meanwhile, according to the unofficial results released by UMNO headquarters, Saifuddin, who contested to defend his Supreme Council seat, was still not listed among the top 25 candidates thus far.

In the last general election, Saifuddin failed to retain his Temerloh parliamentary seat after losing to PAS Youth chief Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi by a 1,070-vote majority.

The former minister was recently appointed as the chief executive officer of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF).