Ismail (centre) presents letters of appointment to Ahmad Bashah during the gathering. — Bernama photo
ALOR SETAR: There is no threat against chairmen of Village Security and Development Committees (JKKK), who are normally appointed Umno branch heads, moving a motion against the prime minister in the Umno branch meetings being held currently.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the claim by certain individuals that the JKKK were threatened that their contracts would not be renewed if they moved such a motion was totally not true.
“The responsibility of the branch leader is to defend the party, so the motion to topple the leader is not the responsibility of party members.
“So far, there has been no case of the JKKK (who is also the Umno branch head) being threatened for making a motion against the party leader,” he told reporters after attending the gathering between Kedah JKKK Consensus Council and the Leader, here yesterday.
Also present were Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
Ismail said many motions supporting the Prime Minister’s leadership had been made in the Divisional Umno meetings, thus they gave an opportunity to the branches to state their support for the Prime Minister and there were no threats.
Earlier in his speech, Ismail who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister urged branch heads not to pass resolutions which could result in disunity in the party.
“There is no need for branches to pass such resolutions. They could lead to disunity between us. Which is what the opposition wants, to see Umno split. So don’t, I advise not to. I am not forcing, that cannot be done. Even as a minister, I have no executive power.
“It is just that I as the minister responsible for the JKKK, am pleading and asking the branches not to pass resolutions asking the prime minister to resign, to ask the menteri besar to resign. We are a democratic country which is subject to the constitution and our prime minister is selected democratically,” he said.
He said this was because traditionally in Umno, all party members must defend the leader for the sake of the government and institution.
“We have to support the current leader. We will not be happy if ruled by the opposition,” he said, adding that only Umno could defend the dignity of the Malays and Islam. — Bernama