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UMNO Petaling South Division, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Date: 11 July 2008

The General Secretary
UMNO
UMNO Headquarter
38 floor, Menara Dato’ Onn
Jalan Tun Ismail
50840 Kuala Lumpur

Your honour Datuk Seri,

Ethical Issue of UMNO Members

With respect I would like to suggest the UMNO Supreme Council to postpone the date to enforce the Ethical UMNO Member Version 2008 (Ethical Version 2008) until after the UMNO Supreme Meeting which is scheduled on December 2008. The deferment date should started from 10 July 2008 .

If the Supreme Council does not agree with this, the letter served as my formal request as the Leader of UMNO division Petaling Jaya South to the UMNO Investigation Body and UMNO Disciplinary Group for the misconduct of The Very Honour Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Hj Ahmad Badawi, President UMNO and Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Hj Abd Razak, Vice President UMNO.

UMNO headquarter, with letter dated 8 July 2008 , has invited all Division Leader, Youth Leader, Wanita and Puteri Division from all over the country to present in one enclosed meeting with President and Vice President on 10 July 2008 at Dewan Merdeka. In the meeting, YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah and YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib have delivered the message to all Division Leader, Youth Leader, Wanita and Puteri Division. In the their speech:-

i)                    YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah and YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib have directly campaigned to ask and to request the audiences to remain themselves in their current position in the upcoming UMNO election in December 2008.

ii)                   YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah also promised to tender the position as President UMNO and Prime Minister to YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib, which mentioned as a form of “gradual empowerment”, in mid 2010.

Speeches given by YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah and YAB Dato’ Seri Najib is a form of power misuse and it is clear to influence the UMNO division leaders and indirectly, the representatives that will attend the supreme divisional meeting and division representatives to the Supreme UMNO meeting.

In the context of Malaysia politics, offering of the position of President UMNO and Prime Minister by YAB Dato’s Seri Abdullah to YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib and agreeing on receiving the offer by YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib in the current situation is a form of political corruption “of the highest order”, despite any given reason. This is for sure that it is giving an advantage to YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah, and some of the advantage to YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib as well.

Before this, YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah had involved in several ice-breaking and communication parties during the election timeframe (which is dictated in the Ethical Version 2008). Divisional Leaders from a few states were given special treatment, hotel arrangements and were given presents, and given monetary expenses through the country’s finance. This issue has become a talking point within UMNO members. I believe this kind of issue has never happened before in UMNO history. It is for sure it has never happened within the 20 years when I am in the position of Division Leader.

Referring to Ethical Version 2008, a candidate who wishes to compete for a position of Division Leader or Supreme Council is prohibited to organize event or provide expenses to the representatives and will be subjected to disciplinary action by doing so. It is not mentioned in Ethical Version 2008 that President and Vice President are excused from any of this ethical terms. The Supreme Council is the one which dictate and approve all the details in that Ethical, so all the members of the Supreme Council should serve as good examples to the subordinates. What is happening here is the other way around. The members of Supreme Council have offended the rules that are clearly defined, completed with examples, without feeling ashamed or guilty. What happen to the slogan “lead by example”, that we have been fighting for all along?

With this reason on what they have done, in my opinion YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah and YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib have offended the rules in Ethical Version 2008 and should be seriously penalized to demonstrate to UMNO members that the top leaders of the party are committed to demolish the political corruption within UMNO.

If this is not enforced, the UMNO Investigation Body and UMNO Disciplinary Group will lost their credibility and no longer possible for them to investigate or to penalize other members whom have been subjected to political corruption..

If needed, I will request whoever needed that serve as witnesses on the above-mentioned wrongdoings to stand-out and give explanations to the UMNO Investigation Body and UMNO Disciplinary Group.

Lastly, I hope my suggestion to postpone the date to enforce Ethical Version 2008 will gain approval from the Supreme Council and I request the gratitude from YBM Tengku to take the wise action accordingly.

Yours truly,

Capt (B) Dato’ Zahar Hashim
Leader
UMNO Division Petaling Jaya South


c.c. All Supreme Council
       All UMNO Communication body.
       UMNO Investigation Body (via General Secretary)
       UMNO Disciplinary Group (via General Secretary)
       All Division Leaders