2 Ministers, 4 MB ousted in UMNO polls

By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR,– The voting for Umno’s 25 Supreme Council seats saw a number of government leaders failing to gain the support of the delegates.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, who is under investigation for graft, joined Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad and Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Noraini Ahmad as members of outgoing president Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi’s Cabinet to fail.

Also ousted were all four Mentris Besar who contested; Johor’s Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Perlis’ Datuk Isa Sabu, Pahang’s Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and Negri Sembilan’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Their consolation is the fact that Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers in Umno are invited to join in Supreme Council meetings anyway.

The result means that incoming president Datuk Seri Najib Razak gets a top team which has his backing, led by deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and vice presidents Datuk Seris Ahmad Zahidi, Hishammuddin Hussein and Shafie Apdal.

But delegates picked freely for the Supreme Council, retaining several members of Abdullah’s Cabinet such as Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed who topped the polls with 2,259 votes and Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

But there were also new faces such as Batu Pahat MP Datuk Puad Zarkashi and a return for former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis, who is widely tipped to be part of Najib’s Cabinet.

The winners were:

Datuk Mustapa Mohamed (2,259 votes),

Datuk Noh Omar (2,084),

Datuk Seri Musa Aman (2,084),

Datuk Azian Osman (2,060),

Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman (2,054),

Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed ( 1,854),

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (1,838),

Datuk Lajim Ukin (1,804),

Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor (1,705),

Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (1,700),

Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (1,685),

Datuk Idris Haron (1,658),

Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad (1,624),

Datuk Seri Jamaludin Mohd Jarjis (1,622),

Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (1,619),

Datuk Dr Norraesah Mohamad (1,611),

Datuk Seri Mahadzir Khalid (1,580),

Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohd Hanadzlah (1,529),

Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin (1,518),

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (1,517),

Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin (1,481),

Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique (1,431),

Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek (1,377)

Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (1,275),

Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (1,265),

Courtesy of Malaysian Insider

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UMNO polls will not be reverted to December - PM

BEIJING(24Oct): The Umno party polls will be held in March next year as scheduled and not reverted to December, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“We already have the transition plan and it will be in March next year,” he told reporters on Thursday when asked if the Umno general assembly would be brought to December.

It is learnt that some Umno divisions are against the party’s Supreme Council decision to postpone the general assembly to March.

Abdullah, who earlier launched Khazanah Nasional’s Beijing representative office here, arrived on Wednesday to attend the two-day Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem).

Abdullah’s official programme includes the Asean Leaders’ Working Dinner and Asean Plus Three Leaders’ Breakfast Meeting on the Financial Crisis.

Abdullah will hold talks with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Established in 1996, Asem is an informal process of dialogue and cooperation between its 45 members, comprising the 10 Asean member nations, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, and European Union members.

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