Muhyiddin - 4 months period too long

KUALA LUMPUR: Remarks by UMNO vice president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin that the party election campaign used to be only one month, but now it is four months long, showing that grassroots leaders indeed want the power transition plan to be expedited.

Insider information from UMNO shows that only the Kuantan division has so far asked for the party elections scheduled for next March to be held earlier, and if other divisions are also doing the same thing, the UMNO management committee is expected to raise the matter in the meeting, and forward the proposal to the supreme council for a decision whether the party elections should be held earlier.

According to the information, this is once-and-for-all solution to the transition issue. If the issue could be resolved soon, UMNO and BN could then be brought back to the right track again soon so that they can focus on the task of restoring public confidence towards BN.

"Although the supreme council has postponed the December elections to next March, it can also likewise bring forward the March party elections. It's all an administrative issue."

The information also said after the first round of 30 divisional meetings, the situation for the contest for senior party posts is now taking shape, which will be consolidated following the next three rounds of intensive meetings.

The second round of 82 divisional meetings are currently being held until 27 October.

"The second round of nominations will be key to how the next rounds of nominations will be conducted. If Melaka chief minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam and UMNO information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Taib could not secure enough nominations for their bids for deputy presidency, that might as well signal that they have passed their primes." (Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)