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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright March 2023
"I’m safe today,” Zahid said after Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution confirmed that Umno was granted an exemption under the Societies Act 1966 for the resolution barring contests for its top two posts for party elections.
It's incredible that in a democratic society like ours, a leader of a once mighty party has the audacity to announce to the public that he may keep his post as a president not because all party members have popularly elected him but he was exempted from having to go through an open contest.
Obviously, as a result of the exemption made by the minister, Zaid's position as UMNO President is safe for now. Thus, Zahid has the audacity to announce publicly that he is safe. But for how long?
In any case lawmakers are questioning the exemption in Parliament. MPs in the Opposition are raising this as an abuse of power by the minister who had overruled the RoS and made an exemption that favoured Zahid and his Deputy President to continue without having to be subjected to an election like other positions in the party.
In Parliament on Tuesday March 7, Shahidan Kassim Arau MP was planning to present an urgent motion regarding a letter from the Registration of Societies (RoS) which deemed the UMNO general assembly motion for the top two posts in the party to not be contested in the coming party elections.
Apparently, RoS is of the opinion that disallowing a contest for the top posts may be unconstitutional.
However, Shahidan said, "In our view, this is an abuse of power, and tomorrow, InshaAllah, I will bring it under an urgent motion....
"For the sake of the great and terrible civil government, we cannot do this. We should not do things differently because this is not right. A civil government is a government that is for all and not just for some,” he stressed.
Earlier, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail issued a statement which notified that the exemption was granted under Section 70 of the Societies Act of 1966. This section allows the Minister to exempt any registered society from all or any of the Act's restrictions according to his discretion.
If this decision was not retracted there is a serious concern amongst law makers and the general public that it would become a precedent for future Home Ministers to use to bail out party leaders who are afraid of being challenged in an open and fair election within their own party.
However, the Prime Minister made an announcement soon after that “We will uphold the highest ethical standards and there will be no room for abuse of power under this administration.” Anwar said this in his keynote address at Invest Malaysia 2023 Series 1: Strengthening Resilience and Sustaining Growth in Kuala Lumpur.
Is there a disconnect between what PMX says in public and what his Home Minister does?
It's time PMX put a check on this just to save a party leader within the coalition from being rejected by its own members.
Why not allow members to exercise their rights to vote openly? Let the party decide whom they want to have as their leader. Let's not compromise this basic principle of democracy.
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