Puteri Umno supports party election postponement...then retracts it four hours later

Four hours after supporting calls for the Umno elections to be postponed to next year, Puteri Umno made a complete u-turn and called for party polls to be held as scheduled.

Reporters who covered the Malaysia Career and Training Fair Press conference in the morning had asked Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad whether the movement agreed with calls within Umno for a postponement of the election.

“Yes, because Umno needs time to address both it’s internal and external problems first. These problems can be resolved but not necessarily through party elections,” the Deputy Minister of Human Resources said . “The party needs time to adjust, especially since the dust from general election had not really settled. There is no urgency. Once we are back to normal, then only we should hold the party elections.”

However, four hours later, Noraini not only retracted her statement but called for party elections to be held as scheduled.

“Although the party has until June next year to hold the elections, Puteri Umno is of the opinion that party elections should be held by this year,” she said in a faxed statement.

Noraini said if at all the elections could not be held by August as originally scheduled, then it should take place by December at the latest.

Throughout the afternoon, Noraini did not answer calls to her handphone but later sent a text message to a Berita Harian reporter explaining the sudden change of stand.

“No need to prolong. Better to hold the meeting early. Please look at the constitution,” the text message read.