Umno youth branch meeting turns unruly

RANTAU PANJANG, Oct 17 — The Rantau Panjang Umno Youth annual meeting turned unruly today after a group of individuals claimed that several of the 461 delegates were phantom members.

Several members started shouting and voicing their dissatisfaction soon after the meeting began at 9.30 am at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Kiambang here and continued for about an hour until a light strike force of the Pasir Mas police headquarters was summoned to bring order.

The meeting later resumed after the Friday prayers.

When the meeting began, permanent chairman Nordin Ibrahim announced that 461 delegates from 144 branches were eligible to vote but delegate Suhaimi Che Hussin, head of the Taman Seri Umno Branch, said that there could be phantom members among the delegates.

He said he based his claims on the fact that there had been protests against yet-to-be concluded branch meetings such as the Tepi Sungai Branch.

Rantau Panjang Umno Youth head Affendi Yusof tried to pacify the protestors by explaining that the number of delegates had been verified by the Kelantan Umno Election and Monitoring Committee.

He said he expected the fracas as he had an inkling that certain individuals would cause trouble at the meeting.

“I had expected this, especially after four members of the Rantau Panjang Umno were suspended,” he said.

Rantau Panjang Umno division head Abdullah Mat Yasin, when approached later, said the fracas was sparked by a misunderstanding as some members had not known that their branches had changed the delegates.

“Some branches had to hold their meetings a second time under the supervision of the monitoring committee,” he told reporters.

Abdullah also said he believed that supporters of the former Rantau Panjang Umno Division head, Datuk Mohd Zain Ismail, could be unhappy with his suspension by the Umno Disciplinary Board.

Mohd Zain and three others — Ghazali Ismail, Fauzi Omar and Pauziah Che Wook (Rantau Panjang Wanita Umno head) — were among nine Umno members suspended last month. — Bernama