Umno pushes back against interference in Johor MB appointment
Umno appears to be pushing back after a "higher power" is said to have disrupted Johor party chief Hasni Mohammad's return as menteri besar.
Reports have emerged that 38 out of 40 BN assemblypersons in Johor had submitted statutory declarations (SDs) supporting Hasni as the sole candidate for menteri besar.
The SDs were submitted by...
Umno appears to be pushing back after a "higher power" is said to have disrupted Johor party chief Hasni Mohammad's return as menteri besar.
Reports have emerged that 38 out of 40 BN assemblypersons in Johor had submitted statutory declarations (SDs) supporting Hasni as the sole candidate for menteri besar.
The SDs were submitted by BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to the Johor palace yesterday, Free Malaysia Today reported, citing sources.
One Umno leader from Kuala Lumpur - Rafi Awang Kechik - claimed the only representatives who did not sign were Hasni and his rumoured successor Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
But despite commanding majority support, a separate source told Malaysiakini that Hasni had declined the menteri besar post after his nomination met resistance from the "higher power".
The Benut assemblyperson was promised as BN's sole candidate as menteri besar.
However, things took a sudden turn yesterday when Hasni issued a statement asking the party leadership to appoint a "youth leader" to take over the reins as menteri besar.
The concession statement was issued following the Johor ruler's 3pm audience with Zahid.
Sources said the "higher power" was in favour of Onn Hafiz to be menteri besar instead.
Onn Hafiz, 43, is the grandson of Umno founder Onn Jaafar. He is currently the Machap assemblyperson.
‘Don’t appoint proxy as MB’
Umno Youth exco Noor Azleen Ambros - who is also the Pasir Gudang Umno Youth chief - cautioned that the party should not appoint a proxy as menteri besar.
"A state can't be run by a single person. The leader being searched for must have the blessings and the mandate of the party.
"If possible, the leader being searched for should not be a proxy, for the sake of our beloved state," he said.
He said it was important that the leader must be the one who was promised to voters - in a not-so-subtle backing for Hasni.
The decision to not reappoint Hasni at menteri besar has also not sat well with Umno veteran Shahrir Samad.
The Johor Bahru Umno chief said he was embarrassed to have campaigned on the platform that Hasni would be menteri besar.
He added that he did not know how to face delegates during the Umno general assembly after this turn of events.
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