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No. 4725 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

ATUK Seri Abdullah Ahmad

D Badawi, in his last speech as

Umno president yesterday, gave
a frank assessment of the state
of the party and the threats to its
survival and offered ways to boost its
flagging fortunes.
He suggested Umno limits the tenure » Balkis dissolution may be illegal pg8
TELLING IT AS IT IS
Friday
March 27, 2009
www.sun2surf.com

» Thais take to the streets again pg11 News without

of its office-bearers as part of urgent borders
reforms to revive the 63-year-old party
that is now facing a “life and death situ-
ation”. The victors ... Muhyiddin
In his last presidential address en- with the new vice-
titled “The Future and Survival of the presidents Datuk Seri
Party” at Umno’s general assembly at Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,
the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Datuk Seri Hishammuddin
Lumpur, he also said Umno needed Hussein and Datuk Seri
a mechanism that gave its members Mohd Shafie Apdal.
greater say and to allow those without
positions or material wealth to be fairly
treated.
“Perhaps Umno should also give
every Umno member the right to vote to
choose their leaders, especially for key
party positions, to overcome and eradi-
cate the problem of money politics,” he
said, endorsing incoming president
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s call to
the Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings on
Tuesday.
Abdullah, who turns 70 in
November, is not defending the Umno

BERNAMAPIX
president’s post which he held since
2004. Najib was officially declared
Umno president yesterday. Abdullah’s
1,575 1,592 1,515 1,445
speech was greeted with a stand-
ing ovation, during which Najib
walked over and hugged him. The
highlights:

Muhyiddin
Reforms
Sadly, there are still those who feel we
do not need to pursue reforms. They
believe that Umno will regain its
glory if we revert to the old ways
– the old order, by restricting the
freedom of our citizens and by
silencing their criticism. They
are of the view that Umno
can continue to be in
power if they safe-

is No. 2
guard the interests
of certain individ-
uals and give in
to the demands Emotional
of certain moment ... Najib
groups. rushes to hug
Abdullah after
» Turn to the outgoing
Page 2 party chief
delivered his
last speech as
KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin last night beat another
Umno president
party veteran Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib for the Umno
yesterday.
deputy presidency.
The win puts the 61-year-old Johor politician, who was first elected
vice-president in 1993, in line for the post of deputy prime ministers.
Muhyiddin, who is International Trade and Industry Minister, garnered
1,575 votes while the 63-year-old Muhammad, the affable party informa-
tion chief, collected 916 votes. A total of 2,519 delegates voted.
The contest for the number two post was earlier a three-cornered one
but Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam was sensationally
barred by the disciplinary board for involvement in money politics by
association a week ago.
The results were announced by Tan Sri Onn Ismail, the incumbent
permanent chairman who lost his post to Datuk Paduka Badruddin
Amiruldin, at 10.40pm, to a crowd that had waited hours.
EPAPIX

» Turn to Page 4