PETALING JAYA: Umno may be weaker in the 15th general election (GE15) if the Registrar of Societies (RoS) rejects the party’s constitutional amendment proposals, political analysts said.
National Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir said any kind of party election will create tensions as leaders jostle for top positions.
He added that there are question marks as to who will go for the top post. Will the incumbent Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi defend his post or will he be challenged by his deputy Datuk Mohamad Hasan and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob?
“In open warfare, new leaders might emerge and the grassroots may decide that Umno needs to take a new direction with younger and more capable leaders who are not tainted,” he told theSun.
“Open fights during party polls will not only poison the party but also weaken it, a position that Umno cannot afford to be in as GE15 looms.”
Jeniri said it is no use for an Umno leader to win the party leadership but is unable to form the next government because the party has been tainted by infighting during the party polls, adding that the party needs leaders with high integrity, strong ethos and credibility who can take Umno and the nation forward.
“If leaders openly fight one another, it could be used by the Opposition to show that the party has still not changed and has gone back to its old ways, with its leaders unable to put their house in order.”
Jeniri also said from its 22 months being the Opposition, Umno has learnt about the importance of party solidarity and its leaders have no choice but to come together if they want to win more seats and form the government post GE15.
Umno previously postponed its party elections for 18 months after the 2018/2021 term ended on June 30 last year.
The 18-month period will expire at the end of this year, meaning Umno elections would have to be held by Dec 30.
In May, the Umno special general assembly unanimously approved a motion to amend its constitution to allow party elections to be postponed by up to six months after a general election or up to 18 months from the end of its leadership term, whichever comes later.
Umno currently has 56 supreme council members, 191 divisions and 21,156 branches nationwide.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan said Umno has the option to take the matter to court if its constitutional amendment proposals are rejected, or just hold the polls.
“Open warfare depends on the group that wants to challenge the current leadership, whether they are strong enough or have grassroots support (as) the top five leaders have very solid support from the grassroots,” he said.
“There may not be a real 100% open warfare with top leaders being challenged, as (no) group is influential (enough).
“If there is open warfare and all top five positions are challenged, it will not be good as the party will be divided.
“The new leader will face divisions within Umno before GE15.”
Azmi said the current leadership would benefit from any open warfare as they have the support of the grassroots and would gain the most.