Malaysia Notes

PETALING JAYA: The issue of leadership transition in Umno will be one of the topics discussed at a special briefing today by the party’s top two leaders.

There is tremendous anticipation that Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will talk about the rather sensitive issue of transition and succession when they address the closed-door meeting of some 900 divisional grassroots leaders.

An Umno official close to the party president said the meeting was for Umno’s top two to put into perspective some of the issues affecting the party and country in the last few months. It is also to set the tone for the party’s branch AGMs and elections that begin next Thursday. The branch elections are the first stage of the party elections in December.

“The priority of the leadership is that members must rally together to face the political and economic turbulence. Issues related to the stability of the party will be discussed and the leadership transition is one of these issues,” he said.

Abdullah and Najib also want to use the meeting to clear the confusion created by the sodomy allegations against PRK de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the political storm that followed.Many who will be attending are hoping that the top leadership will provide a more specific timeframe for the transition, but this is unlikely to happen.

Abdullah is expected to be a little direct about his plans for a smooth and stable transition of power but is unlikely to go into specifics beyond saying that he may not be leading the party into the next general election.

All eyes will be on how Najib presents his stand because he is torn between his loyalty to Abdullah and pressure from the grassroots for change.

The Umno supreme council will meet at 3pm prior to the briefing which will be attended by 191 divisions division chiefs, deputy heads and vice heads, as well as their Wanita, Youth and Puteri chiefs.

Some 13,000 Umno branches will hold elections between July 17 and Aug 14 and the division elections will take place from Oct 9 to Nov 9. All these will culminate in the Umno general assembly and elections between Dec 15 and 20.