KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 ― Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has defended his call for Umno to rid itself of dynasty politics, insisting that the practice still occurs despite recent amendments to the party’s constitution.
In a blog posting yesterday, the former Umno president denied that his comments had been aimed at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and that he simply meant that positions within the party should only be given to those who truly deserved it.
“Does Umno want family ties to be made a basis for choosing positions?” Dr Mahathir asked.
“I was not talking about Datuk Seri Najib. I was only making a general statement. If anyone was offended, that is their problem,” he added.
Dr Mahathir was responding to a recent statement made by Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi ― where the latter said that new amendments to the party’s constitution had enlarged the voting base for party delegates from 2,400 to 146,000.
“What matters is not the delegates who vote for a candidate but the divisions that decide on which candidate that will be fielded and appointed,” Dr Mahathir said, adding that the divisions are now more powerful than the party delegates.
He pointed out that during his time, he was chosen by Umno leaders who had no family ties with him.
“I forbid my children to chase positions within Umno, unless they were elected by its leaders and not family members,” he said.
One of Dr Mahathir’s sons, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, is the current Menteri Besar of Kedah and Umno state liaison chief.
