Monday 23 March 2009

Norza cannot contest

Umno supreme council member Norza Zakaria who was charged in Temerloh magistrate's court in Pahang on March 13 for alleged involvement in money politics has been barred from contesting in the party polls on Thursday, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said today

Tengku Adnan, who is Umno secretary-general, said that the decision by the committee to bar Norza followed precedents in Negeri Sembilan and Perlis but he did not elaborate, according to Malaysiakini.

Norza, who is the Federal Territories Umno Youth chief, is vying for the supreme council post.

The party annual meeting starts tomorrow and will end on Saturday.

Norza had claimed trial to two charges of offering bribes to party delegates to vote for him for the supreme council post. He was released on a RM10,000 bail in one surety. The case will be mentioned on April 22.

In an immediate reaction to the party's decision today, Norza said that he was disappointed but would accept the decision.

"This decision does not change my intentions to continue to contribute for the party," he said in a statement.

He said the decision of the party management committee was a challenge for him in continuing to support Umno and putting the party's interest above his.

He also expressed support for incoming president Najib Abdul Razak.

A former political secretary to Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yaacop, Norza was once considered a member of outgoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's inner circle. He is also a close associate of Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin, a contender in the contest for the party’s youth chief post.

Khairy was found guilty by the Umno Disciplinary Board for breaching the party’s campaign rules, but was let off with only a stern warning.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Baguilah tu.

Sekiranya perwakilan umno kali ini masih lagi memilih pemimpin yang "corrupt" terimalah kutukan dari anak cucu kamu di masa depan kerana mengkhianati hak mereka.

Diharap Dato Najib akan bertindak dengan berani dan bijaksana (dengan memilih pemimpin yang bersih sahaja dalam Kabinet) untuk memulihkan Umno supaya menjadi releven menghadapi cabaran dan kembalikan keyakinan, kepercayaan dan sokongan orang melayu terhadap parti ini.

puteri said...

It seems MM Taib is going to get the votes that would have otherwise gone to Mohd Ali following the Umno disciplinary Board's decision barring the latter from contesting the No 2 party post.

That's quite a number of votes, and that could kick the balance in favour of M to the power of 2.

A suggestion has been made (I read somewhere...should that be the case MM Taib wins), Najib should break away from convention of appointing the No 2 man in the party as the deputy PM.

It's unimaginable to have a corrupt, recycled & rebranded so-called leader who was technically let off for making false declaration for carrying millions of cash in Australia as our DPM. And takes over the Premiership should anything happen to the PM.

Say No to Mat Taib!

Anonymous said...

God help us, if by a strange twist of fate, the current Minister of Rural Development, who ran away to the Thai border to marry a princess, becomes our next PM.

Porak peranda lah negara nanti. He will thump his chest to say "I will produce another batch of millionairesI"

Right from among his cronies!

Anonymous said...

Puteri,

it was Nurjazalan, the son of Umno former secretary-general and Information Minsiter Mat Rahmat, who suggested that Umno de-politicise the post of Umno deputy president so that it would no longer be perceived as a platform to gain the country's premiership.

I totally agree with him because like he said the system has caused friction, just as what happened previously in Umno between former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Musa Hitam, which led to the resignation of the latter as Umno deputy president and deputy prime minister