FT Umno Disagrees With Cheras’ Resolution

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) — The Federal Territory (FT) Umno liaison commitee Monday stressed that the Cheras Umno division's resolution made at a special delegates' meeting Sunday was not a common stand shared by the remaining 23 Umno divisions in FT.

FT Umno Information chief Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman said the major difference was in Cheras Umno's decision to ask the FT Umno chief Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique to resign from his post after losing all but one FT parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election.

Suhaili, who is also Labuan Umno chief, said only two of the 10 lost seats were Umno seats, while the other eight seats were MCA and Gerakan seats.

"I want to make it clear that out of all the 13 contested seats in FT, eight of them were contested by Barisan Nasional component parties. Umno won three out of its five allocated seats.

"So if the Cheras Umno division chief Senator Datuk Wira Syed Ali Alhabshee wants to put the blame on Zulhasnan for the losses, I think it is absurd because he did deliver three out of five seats," he told reporters here Monday.

The press conference which was attended by four divisional information chiefs and four FT Umno division chiefs was held to pledge support for Zulhasnan, while stressing that the Cheras Umno division did not represent the other FT Umno divisions.

Suhaili said a meeting of the Umno division chiefs held on April 26 and chaired by FT Umno liaison deputy chief Datuk Kamarudin Ambok was to decide whether Zulhasnan should be replaced by Umno secretary-general Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor.

"The meeting was attended by all the division chiefs except Zulhasnan and Tengku Adnan, while Syed Ali was represented by his deputy.

"All the division chiefs unanimously agreed that Zulhasnan should stay."

He said Tengku Adnan had also sent an SMS on the same day, stating that he was not interested in the post because he wanted to focus on his duty as party secretary-general.

Suhaili said the other Umno divisions in FT favoured Zulhasnan and did not wish for any quarters to think otherwise following the Cheras Umno division's resolution Sunday.

"We want to reaffirm our decision on March 26," he said.

Among the resolutions made at the meeting were for the quota system to be abolished for the post of Umno president, deputy president and Supreme Council member, as well as Youth, Women and Puteri chiefs.

The meeting also agreed that anybody who wished to contest for a Supreme Council seat should be a party member for at least 10 years and nominated by two divisions.