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The 2004 UMNO General Assembly began on Tuesday, 21 September
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Reports indicate that this year’s assembly will see
2,500 delegates vote in three vice-presidents, 25 supreme
council members and executive committee members for Umno Youth,
Wanita and Puteri Umno.
This year, seven candidates are vying for the three vice-presidential
positions, which are just under the posts of President and
Deputy President.
In the past the posts have gone to party stalwarts who are
leaders of the big political constituencies within UMNO.
For more on why the vice-presidents' posts are so sought
after, Yvonne Gomez spoke to Professor Zakaria Haji Ahmad
from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
ZM: Well, that's basically the stepping stone to being the
President and Deputy President. It's actually the Supreme
Council and the three Vice-President's posts. If you make
it there, then it shows that you a re a big Party man and
will be involved in the Party's many decisions. Abdullah Badawi
was a Vice-President for a long time within UMNO. He was actually
a senior Vice-President. In fact, when he was not holding
Minister's post, he was there, and it indicated the popularity
of Abdullah Badawi. Of course he was a long-time Party man,
and that was a recognition of his stature as a political personality
within UMNO itself.
What sort of influence do the Vice-Presidents have within
UMNO?
ZM: The post of Vice-President - usually the Party President
post is not contested, which has been more or less the tradition
- is contested. They are voted in by the delegates. So it's
actually a notion of the popularity and stature of the candidates.
That's why it is important. Therefore, the person who hold
that post wields considerable influence within the Party's
decision-making process.
There is some speculation that incumbent Muhyiddin Yassin
will retain his vice-presidential post, and analysts have
also said that Muhammad Muhammad Taib is a strong contender
for one of the two remaining posts. What are your own predictions?
ZM: Well, I would be surprised if Muhyiddin doesn't get elected.
He represents Johore state and he's also served a long time
within UMNO and he's been holding some senior ministerial
post. So he's got a lot of support in that regard. That's
why most observers belivee that he will be elected again.
Muhammad Taib is a puzzle. He was a former Chief Minister
of Selangor state but he was implicated in many ways but it
was never proven, in the corruption in the state. But he seems
to retain a certain measure of popularity within UMNO itself.
Chances are he may get in this time around. I would give him
a 50-50 chance that he'll get voted in.
What are some other things to look out for in the contest
for the vice-presidential posts this year?
ZM: The Vice-President contest this year will be an indication
of the way the Party and delegates are thinking. Who gets
in and from which part of the country, and again, the potential
of these candidates then assuming higher positions within
UMNO and the government show that this will be an important
barometer of politics within UMNO and within the country,
because UMNO is a dominant force in the country.
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