Umno leader calls panel decisions ‘a bargain’, demands justification

By Lee Wei Lian

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Frustrated with Umno’s tepid fight against money politics, maverick Datuk Kadar Shah Sulaiman called its latest disciplinary action ‘a bargain’ and gave it a week to justify its judgments.

Otherwise, he will complain to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and make good his threat to stop the Umno annual general assembly due March 24 with an injunction.

“This is a grand design, something like a bargain,” Kadar Shah said while pouring out his frustrations to The Malaysian Insider about the panel’s decision to just bar Datuk Seri Ali Rustam from contesting the party deputy presidency.

“How can the board be credible if they don’t act justly. If the board finds someone guilty, they should act. “If not, their reputation would be tarnished. Either act or don’t act at all,” added the Muar Umno committee member.

He dismissed today’s disciplinary board verdict, saying a possible reason the Melaka Chief Minister was not suspended despite being found guilty of money politics was because of the Umno vice-president’s perceived influence with the party grassroots and a fear his supporters may walk out.

Kadar Shah also accused the disciplinary board of double standards, citing the case of Tan Sri Isa Samad, a former party vice president who was suspended for six years in 2005 for money politics.

Isa’s suspension was lifted in June last year following an appeal.

While Ali was not suspended, his political secretary Saadun Basirun was suspended for three years, also for involvement in money politics.

However, Kadar Shah’s threats is unlikely to be taken very seriously within Umno as he admitted no one has contacted him after his threat to stop the assembly if corruption is not investigated.

But he believed the threat which he made together with former Umno Youth executive councillor Datuk Mazlan Harun, had put some pressure on the disciplinary board to “act a bit faster”.

The duo created a stir on March 5 when they announced their threat.

It was seen by some observers as an attempt to prevent Datuk Seri Najib Razak from being endorsed as party president.

Najib won the Umno presidency uncontested in a pre-arranged transition plan and will be confirmed as party president during the general assembly.

Mazlan had denied the allegations. “We are not here to stop (Najib). Everyone who loves Umno must take this matter seriously. The process must be completed according to the party constitution and the law. We are not involved in the transition plan, it can be completed anytime,” Mazlan told reporters on March 5.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Tengku Mansor however said the duo have no right to seek a postponement of the party assembly as there are no provisions in the Societies Act or the Umno constitution to postpone an assembly because of money politics.