KUALA LUMPUR, 29 Sept 2006: The decision to postpone the Umno’s general assembly and supreme council polls from December 2008 to March 2009 does not contravene any regulation in the party’s constitution, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.
He said the postponement, announced on 25 Sept, was based on the power vested in the supreme council under Clause 10.17 of the party’s constitution, which allows the supreme council to postpone the election for a period of not more than 18 months from the date it was supposed to be held.
Tengku Adnan said office bearers at the branch, division and supreme council levels were elected in June 2004, July 2004 and September 2004 respectively.
The term for the branch and division office bearers would, therefore, have expired in June 2007 and July 2007 respectively, while the term for the supreme council members, on Sept 2007, he said.
In view of this, he said, the March 2009 general assembly would still be within the 18-month period from the date it was supposed to be held in 2007.
“At the branch and divisional levels, the 18-month period will expire in December [2008] and January 2009 respectively.
“I hope that with this explanation, there will be no more doubt or debate [on] whether the postponement was constitutional,” he said.
Tengku Adnan also said that Youth and Puteri members who had exceeded their age limit would cease to be members of the movements but those holding posts could still perform their duties during the assembly.
Members who had exceeded their age limit in both movements would be allowed to contest for party posts in the 2009 election, so long as they were elected at the branch or divisional level in 2008, he said.
He also said the Umno headquarters would no longer accept complaints on Umno branch meetings, as the period to do so had expired on 21 Sept. The branch elections concluded in mid-September. — Bernama
