Doubts linger over Umno amendments

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Despite the unanimous support for the constitutional amendments to make Umno more inclusive and democratic, questions remain about whether the party will be able to conduct a free and fair election.

Even after voting for the amendments, one party leader wondered how lesser known candidates would be able to campaign in party elections.

“The election outcome will depend on a candidate’s media coverage,” said Umno Youth exco member Lokman Adam when commenting on the move to increase the number of voting delegates from 2,500 to some 146,000.

He argued that aspiring candidates with higher media profiles would still have an advantage.

“Previously money politics was only confined to certain politicians, but with the amendment, soon it will spread to media practitioners,” Lokman told The Malaysian Insider.

He agreed that the amendments were necessary to show Umno was open to change.

But he said that “the party will soon have to think about how to solve problems brought about by this reform effort.”

Political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian said the question now was who would be appointed into the party election committee.

“With the scrapping of the nomination quota, Umno looks more open, but to be able to improve, the committee must be transparent and free to punish,” said Sivamurugan.

The party election committee, said party vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, was formed to manage the party polls as members had questioned how the party would be able to handle the increase in the number of delegates.

Sivamurugan added that despite the intention to curb the practice of vote buying, the offence itself was not clearly defined.

“What about a small ceramah and some ‘makan’, will that be considered money politics, because how else are unknown candidates going to campaign?

“They will have to meet with the delegates in small groups to promote themselves,” said Sivamurugan.

An amendment which made it easier to recruit new members also raised question marks.

The Umno special assembly had earlier today passed constitutional amendments which include empowering the Youth, Wanita and Puteri chiefs at branch level to accept new members in an attempt to make the party more inclusive.

Currently, a new membership application has to be vetted by the branch chief.

“It works well in a peaceful branch, but it will also worsen infighting within branches as a Youth chief who is having problem with the branch chief may recruit new members for the sole reason of toppling the branch chief,” said one Terengganu delegate.

“There must be a balance, it is difficult if new members are recruited without the knowledge of the branch chief,” he added.