KUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Chief Whip, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan urged the Unity Government to clarify the provision given to Umno under the Societies Act 1966 (Act 832) relating to the resolution for no contest for the posts of president and deputy president passed during Umno 2022 General Assembly.
Takiyuddin claimed that the letter circulated on the additional no-contest motion by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) dated March 2 had stated the additional motion was invalid.
According to the Kota Bahru Member of Parliament, as mentioned in the letter the additional motion was contrary to Article 9(3) of Umno Constitution which requires the top leadership positions to be put to contest every three years unless it has to be postponed.
“The letter said, they found out that the additional motion is unorganised and contrary to Umno’s constitution and as such the decision to allow for no contest for the posts of president and deputy president was invalid.
“I do not know how true the letter is and it is important for the government to explain,” Takiyuddin said in his speech during 2023 Budget debate in Dewan Rakyat, Tuesday as quoted by NST.
In another development, earlier the Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that Umno has been given an exemption on the resolution for no contest for the posts of president and deputy president during the party’s 2022 PAU.
He said, with reference to Umno constitution and meeting rules, the ministry had decided to grant an exemption from compliance Section 13(1) ( c ) (iv) through Section 70 of Act 832 regarding the decision of the additional motion that had been approved at the 2022 PAU relating to no-contest for the posts of president and deputy president in the upcoming election.
According to Saifuddin, under Section 70 of the Act, the minister may at his discretion in writing exempt any society registered under this Act from all or any of the provisions of this Act.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said, an explanation had been provided on the no-contest motion during Umno assembly held in January 2023.
“There were no motions that failed to adhere to the Umno constitution following the no-contest motion during the party’s 2022 General Assembly.
“This is not the first time the president and deputy president posts were not contested. We move on to continue helping the people,” Ahmad wrote on his Twitter account, Tuesday.
In his Twitter, Ahmad has also attached a letter from the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Nasution Ismail confirming that Umno has been given an exemption under the Societies Act 1966 (Act 832). – Malaysia World News