KUALA LUMPUR: Former Rembau member of parliament Khairy Jamaluddin is urging for the top post in Umno to be contested in its polls.
He said putting a stop to any form of contests for the No. 1 post would be detrimental to the democratic process.
He said a contest was the best way to go because Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is a "fighter."
Khairy said this in response to the call by 140 Umno divisions yesterday for the party president's and deputy president's post to remain uncontested.
"Stop this madness, I think the president is a fighter and is not afraid to be challenged.
"Allow for a contest. Do not kill democracy in Umno," Khairy said in his IG story today.
Yesterday, a group representing 140 Umno divisions said they were all for the president and deputy president positions to be unchallenged in the upcoming party elections that should be done before May 19.
Khairy also forwarded a poster which questioned whether the right to elect a party president only lies in the hands of a specific group of Umno division heads, when it is the right ofall Umno delegates.
Yesterday, Solidariti Ketua-Ketua Bahagian Umno chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Shafie Abdullah, who spoke on behalf of the 140 division leaders expressed their support for Zahid's leadership and for there to be no contest for the top post.
In 2018, Khairy, who is also a former Umno Youth chief lost in the contest for the party presidency to Zahid after Datuk Seri Najib Razak vacated the position after Barisan Nasional's defeat in the 14th General Election.
On Jan 5, Zahid gave the impression that he is ready to be challenged for the party president post in the Umno polls. He had cited the 2018 party election as proof as he was able to garner votes to gain victory against four other contenders.
In that year, Zahid won the post with 93 votes whereas Khairy received 51, followed by Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who gained 23 votes.
Two more lesser-known contenders at the time were Bandar Tun Razak Umno division member Mohamed Iqbal Maricair (CORRECT) and Iskandar Puteri Umno division member Mohd Yusof Musa@Jamaluddin, who both failed to secure any votes.
