UMNO needs to be brave to hold party elections - Analyst

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO must have the courage to hold party elections before the 15th General Election (GE15) to develop maturity and show voters the meaning of a struggle within the party, said political analyst Ab Jalil Backer.

He said it was a bit strange when some UMNO leaders demand that GE15 be expedited when its term only ends in May 2023 but are seen trying to postpone the party election which should have been held this June.

He also stressed that UMNO always won big in the general election when it did not postpone the party election but lost in GE14 after postponing the election which should have been held in 2016.

"Don't be afraid to hold (party) elections because that is where the party develops maturity and shows the voters outside the party the meaning of a struggle in UMNO.

"We are busy asking for the GE (whereas the current parliamentary term) is still long until May 2023.

"But at the same time, we are trying to restrict democracy in the party by finding a way to postpone election in the party which should be held in June 2021.

“Before we demand the openness of others, we ourselves must be prepared to set a good example,” he said in an analysis shared on Facebook.

On Tuesday, former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin suggested that UMNO hold party elections this year to resolve the party's internal crisis.

According to Khairy, the election should not be postponed after the election, instead it should be held this year.

Astro AWANI had earlier reported that UMNO is expected to postpone the party election scheduled to be held this year.

The report, quoting a source, said the postponement was proposed in preparation for the general election which is expected to be held after the end of the emergency period on August 1.

The source explained that the motion to postpone the 2021 UMNO Election was tabled in the UMNO Supreme Working Council (MKT) meeting on February 19 in Janda Baik, Pahang.

According to the UMNO Constitution, the MKT has the power to postpone the election for up to 18 months from the date a new election should be held.

Earlier, several UMNO leaders, including the president, deputy president and UMNO secretary-general, insisted that elections would be held this year.