Stop this nonsense, KJ says over no-contest proposal

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno's "nonsense" culture of having certain important posts be uncontested during party elections must stop, said Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy said such a culture was among the reasons why the party had suffered an unprecedented defeat in the recent 14th general election. He added the no-contest culture would only deprive party members from electing their leaders according to the democratic process.
"No, no, no. We cannot have this no contest rule anymore in Umno. You are sending a bad message to the public.
"This no contest business is one of the reasons why people lost faith in us in the first place," he said.
"I think it is better for us to stop this nonsense of no contest and all that," he told reporters when met after an Umno meeting held at Menara Dato' Onn today.
Earlier, Umno veteran Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam said Malacca Umno had endorsed for the party's top three positions – president, deputy president and one of the vice-president's post – to go uncontested in the next party polls.
Mohd Ali said the three positions should be held by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy, respectively.
While expressing his appreciation for Mohd Ali's support, Khairy however believes that any position in the party should be open to be contested by anyone.
In last year's Umno annual general meeting, Khairy in his policy speech had proposed for the party's top two posts to be uncontested if Umno and Barisan Nasional won the national polls.