Veteran UMNO mahu PM Abdullah LETAK JAWATAN

Ahli veteran UMNO bantah Tajuddin
Nash Rahman | Apr 28, 08 3:45pm

Pengerusi Kelab Veteran UMNO Malaysia, Tan Sri Tajuddin Ali akan diminta memberi penjelasan mengenai kenyataannya bahawa ahli-ahli kelab tersebut sebulat suara menyokong perdana menteri dan presiden UMNO untuk terus memimpin parti dan kerajaan.

Tajuddin membuat kenyataan tersebut kepada pihak media selepas menghadiri pertemuan dengan Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi baru-baru ini.

Malaysiakini difahamkan, kenyataan beliau tidak disenangi oleh majoriti ahli jawatankuasa kelab veteran UMNO kerana ia tidak dibincang dengan mereka terlebih dahulu.

"Malah, dua pertiga daripada ahli-ahlinya tidak menyokong Abdullah terus memimpin UMNO dan kerajaan, dan mahukan peralihan kuasa dilakukan segera," kata seorang ahli jawatankuasanya M Shariff Yousof kepada Malaysiakini.

Ekoran kekalahan teruk BN dan UMNO dalam pilihanraya umum 8 Mac lalu, sebilangan ahli-ahli parti termasuk ahli majlis tertingginya, mendesak peletakan jawatan Abdullah sebagai presiden UMNO dan seterusnya perdana menteri.


Dalam pilihanraya umum tersebut, BN memperolehi 140 kerusi parlimen tetapi gagal mempertahankan penguasaan majoriti dua pertiga di Dewan Rakyat.

BN juga kalah empat negeri - Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak dan Selangor - kepada Pakatan Rakyat, manakala PAS berjaya mengekalkan Kelantan.

Sehubungan itu, M Shariff berkata, Tajuddin akan diminta memberikan penjelasan mengenai kenyataannya dalam mesyuarat jawatankuasa kelab tersebut Rabu ini.

Tidak diberitahu

Shariff berkata, kenyataan pengerusi kelab veteran UMNO itu kurang tepat, tidak berasas dan boleh mengelirukan.

Beliau mendakwa, ramai ahli jawatankuasa kelab tersebut tidak dimaklumkan ataupun dijemput menghadiri pertemuan dengan Abdullah.

Difahamkan, hanya tujuh atau lapan orang ahli jawatankuasa kelab itu dari Perak yang hadir.

Manakala ahli jawatankuasa yang mewakili negeri-negeri lain, termasuk Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Selangor, Terengganu, Melaka, Pahang dan Wilayah Persekutuan tidak menghadiri pertemuan tersebut.

"Saya sendiri tidak mengetahui mengenai pertemuan itu," katanya sambil menambah, beliau antara ahli jawatankuasa yang menyokong peralihan kuasa dalam UMNO.

Menurutnya, beliau sendiri akan meminta penjelasan Tajuddin mengapa beliau membuat kenyataan tersebut, yang tidak mewakili pandangan majoriti ahli jawatankuasa kelab veteran UMNO.

Dr Khir urges Abdullah to step down now

It's a good development when more prime media are willing to voice out such views. Strong and CLEAR statement coming from an UMNO Supreme Council member. If Pak Lah still cannot hear the message, he clearly needs to get his hearing inspected and his conscience checked!

The Star:
Sunday April 20, 2008

PETALING JAYA: UMNO supreme council member Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has urged the Prime Minister to hasten the power transition plan – or risk pulling down the Deputy Prime Minister with him.

“Previously, I had written about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi needing to execute an exit plan as urged by many quarters, including UMNO Johor,” said Dr Khir.

“The transition does not seem to be happening anytime soon, creating a few possible scenarios – one of them being the loss of public confidence in Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” said Dr Khir in his blog in an April 19 posting.

This is a likely scenario predicted by Dr Khir if Abdullah remains as the Prime Minister and UMNO president until the party elections this December.

Dr Khir believed PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would attempt an entry into Parliament via a by-election planned some time before the second parliament.

“Bandar Tun Razak is most likely to be the chosen constituency. Incumbent Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will make way because he has been made the Selangor Mentri Besar.

“As a tradition, Najib will head the Barisan Nasional election machinery. If Pak Lah continues as the number one, morale among Barisan Nasional and UMNO members will be at a very low level, making it difficult for Barisan to win,” said Dr Khir.

However, if Abdullah transferred leadership to Najib now, Dr Khir said it would boost public confidence in Barisan, as well as allow Najib to make changes in the Cabinet and party.

Having Najib at the helm, added Dr Khir, would reduce Anwar’s chances of victory in the by-election, because the public would be willing to give Najib time to make changes.

On another scenario – that the opposition coalition would move a motion of no-confidence against Abdullah at the coming Parliament session – Dr Khir said it was unlikely as Anwar wanted to see Pak Lah remain in power and weaken UMNO.