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At the Umno General Assembly
Debate quotes
Bukit Mertajam delegate Datuk Musa Sheikh
Fadzir
» We give one year to the leadership to fulfil all
our plights and needs failing which the members
and delegates will not attend the next general
assembly.
» Don’t blame the delegates and members if
people say Umno is weak because it is not the
members but the leaders who are weak. You
bring the changes, don’t make us change you.
» Money politics should be addressed within
the party itself among its leaders and not by
publicising it in media as that would tarnish the
party name.
Bukit Katil delegate Hasnoor Husin
» Money politics have existed since (Tun Dr)
Mahathir (Mohamad), (Tun) Musa Hitam, (Tengku
Razaleigh (Hamzah)’s era. Yet Umno won all
elections but when we suspend our leaders for
three years, we let down our party. We should not
reveal our weaknesses to the entire world.
» The non-Malays keep raising Article 153 (equal
rights) of the Constitution, so we should raise Article
140 that is pertaining to citizenship and create first
and second class citizens instead. If we are too tol-
erant with the other races, we will be pushed further
by them till we lose our own race’s support.
Sabah (Tawau) delegate Datuk Tawfiq Abu
Bakar Titingan
» Slander is a problem that has to be addressed
as it causes disunity. This is to the extent that
when a candidate is chosen, people accuse us of
receiving money.
» Party leaders are the “doctors” that can pre-
scribe the treatment to fix the problems in Umno.
As members, we have to adhere to what the doc-
tor says to nurse the party back to health.
» Despite having control of the mainstream me-
dia, we have failed to get our messages across to
the people and for a party that promoted the use
of ICT. We are lagging tremendously in the use of
online media and cyber war.
Perlis (Arau) delegate Datuk Ismail Kassim
» Party leaders and ministers who cannot urge
their wives to don the headscarf are not capable
and fit leaders. Women in the party should don
the headscarf to show their love for the party. The
headscarf makes ugly women look pretty and old
women look young.
» Centralised contracts should be done away
with to avoid giving a monopoly to one company,
thus depriving other bumiputra entrepreneurs
from building up their businesses. This is an issue
that the opposition will take up and we should not
allow them to shoot us.
Muhyiddin: Close ranks
to face challenges
KUALA LUMPUR: Newly-elected Umno
deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd
Yassin last night called for a closing of ranks
after the keenly-fought contest to face the
challenging times ahead.
Speaking to reporters after the election
results were announced, a smiling Muhyid-
din thanked the delegates for giving him the
mandate.
Asked if he was surprised to garner a
majority of 659 votes, he merely said it was
the delegates who made the choice.
On whether he will become the next
deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin said: “I
hope so. I will assist whatever I can.”
Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad
Taib, who lost to Muhyiddin, was gracious
in defeat. He said he hoped Umno will close
ranks to face future party struggles and mis-
sions.
“In elections, there will be a winner and a
loser. I am fine and I accept the result with an
open heart,” he said.
“I will help the party in future; in any-
way I can during elections, by-elections or
any seminars. I will continue contributing
In the new team ... Ahmad Zahid, Shafie (back facing camera) and Hishammuddin congratulate
one another after on winning the vice-presidential race.
Six ministers, four MBs are losers
» From Front Page
For the hotly-contested three vice-
president posts, the victors were Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk
Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (1,592 votes),
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hisham-
muddin Hussein (who had relinquished his
Youth chief post) (1,515) and Culture, Arts
and Heritage Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal
(1,445 ).
For Ahmad Zahid, it was a double celebra-
tion as it was his wedding anniversary. His
wife shared his joy in the hall where the
results were announced. They happily posed
for photographs.
They beat five other contestants, namely
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mo-
hamed Khalid Nordin, Foreign Minister Datuk
Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Home Minister Datuk Seri
Syed Hamid Albar and former mentris besar
Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad and Tan Sri
Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik.
For the 25 supreme council posts, it was a
crowded field of 49 contestants.
theSun | FRIDAY MARCH 27 2009
to the party.”
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who
won one of the three vice-president’s posts,
said it was an honour to be given the respon-
sibility to serve the party.
Hishammuddin, who had given up the
Youth chief post he had held since 1998 to go
for a higher post, said he sincerely hoped that
the party will go through a transformation
with the new line-up of leaders.
“I hope we can work together as a team to
further strengthen Umno,” said the education
minister, 47.
“It’s a hard task but we must be sincere
and honest to accomplish it. Everyone should
work together.”
He said there are many issues to work on,
and he will get cracking immediately.
The two other vice-presidents are Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk
Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, 55, who was
briefly detained under the Internal Security
Act in 1998, and Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, 51, who
has been a supreme council member for 13
years.
BERNAMAPIX
Of the eight cabinet ministers who
contested, two did not make it. They were
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman
Said and Domestic Trade and Consumer
Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Sa-
mad.
Azalina came under a graft probe by the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Council (MACC)
days before the assembly started, and main-
tained that she should be considered innocent
until she has been found guilty before a court
of law. She has yet to be charged.
Those who won were Datuk Ahmad Shab-
ery Cheek ((Information), Datuk Noh Omar
(Entrepreneur and Coopeative Development),
Datuk Mustapa Mohamed (Agriculture and
Agro-based Industries), Datuk Mohd Zin
Mohamed (Works), Datuk Shaziman Abu
Mansor (Energy, Water and Communica-
tions) and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob
(Youth and Sports).
Of the five mentri besar who also vied
for seats in the supreme council, only one
was elected. He is Datuk Seri Musa Aman
(Sabah).