Umno reorganises, restructures

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will reorganise and restructure the party’s operations in an effort to strengthen the party back after facing various pressures including several of its leaders leaving the party.

In the new direction of the party, Umno acting president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said among the changes to be made was to give more power to the state Umno administration to draw up a strategy for their respective states.

“There is no sense of belonging as well as sense of ownership from the state Umno, everything is handed over to the headquarters. As such, we make the state liaison heads and division heads to be together in drawing up strategies to win in the next 15th general election.

“This will be done by a committee to see how we can give more power to the states – decentralisation,” he said at a media conference after chairing the meeting of the Umno Supreme Council, here yesterday.

At the same time, he said, Umno agreed to give full autonomy to Sabah Umno to draw up a strategy to rise up again after several party leaders in the state left the party.

The Umno deputy president said the party would become the spokesman of the people in struggling for their welfare besides being determined to become an effective opposition of calibre in Parliament.

On the Cameron Highlands by-election to be held on Jan 26, Mohamad who is also the acting Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairman said a meeting of the BN would be held in the near future to decide on the candidate to contest in the by-election.

The meeting also agreed to choose the Jelai State Assemblyman (ADUN) Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, who is also the Pahang Menteri Besar, to be the election director for the party while Umno Deputy President Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri would draw up the strategy and programme for the election machinery concerned. - Bernama