Penang Umno chief may relinquish post
GEORGE TOWN: Rumours are rife that Penang Umno chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman may relinquish his post in the party election, which is expected to be held at the end of this month.
A source said this followed Penang Umno’s poor showing in the 14th General Election (GE14), with only two parliamentary and state seats won.
The source said the matter would be answered on June 17.
“(Datuk Seri) Zainal will be replaced by deputy state Umno chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who garners more support.
“Besides Zainal, state Umno Youth chief Rafizal Abd Rahim and his deputy Jasmin Nordin may also relinquish their posts to make way to new faces.
“However, state Umno secretary Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir may be retained as his services are needed by the party,” the source said.
In the general election, Penang Umno only managed to retain the Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seats out of the five seats contested.
The party retained only the Permatang Berangan and Sungai Dua state seats out of the 15 seats contested, the worst performance in the party’s history.
Jasmin, when contacted, declined to comment.
“All I can say is Penang Umno is expected to submit two names to be contested for the Supreme Council member’s posts. They are Reezal and Datuk Shabudin Yahaya. Penang Umno Youth will also submit two names to contest in the wings’ polls,” he said.