I refer to the Malaysiakini report Umno polls in Dec, Ahmad backed as MB.

Umno has alienated itself from the younger generation by adopting very unconventional and undemocratic measures in its management, which are perceived to promote the interests of the incumbent office-bearers like the president and deputy president to the detriment of the party.

Where else on earth do you see a party rule that requires a nomination by 30% of the divisions in order for a member to contest for the president’s post? Why did the Umno delegates agree to this?

The new Umno Baru is afraid of contests and competition for positions in the party. The weak leadership that we see today is a result of doing away with contests for the top two posts. The practise of the outgoing president appointing his successor is feudal in nature and has no place in this modern cyber-age.

It is about time that delegates to the Umno general assembly be given back their power to elect their chief and deputy chief. Otherwise what is the point of having delegates?

Umno should learn something from the ongoing nomination for the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in the US between Obama and Clinton - how rigorous the process is and how daunting it is for the candidates.

While this writer does not advocate going to that extreme, the people of Malaysia deserve a prime minister who has passed the test of the general assembly of his own party - that he is popularly elected in a clean, healthy election.

Please do away with wrongly-placed feudalistic practices that do not benefit the rakyat. People want an ‘open succession plan’ - not a ‘negotiated one’. Let us settle for the best among us to lead.

Malaysia has ‘missed the boat’ several times already when suddenly, a deputy PM was seen as threatening the position of the PM and was shown the door - and worse. An outgoing PM is only human - he can't know everything and he can make mistake in the choice of his successor. We have ample evidence floating around.