Wednesday, March 18, 2009

UMNO Double Standards: Ali Rustam OUT, Khairi & Khir IN

Datuk Kadar Shah was correct in his accusation that UMNO practices double standards.

While Mohd Ali Rustam has been barred from contesting the Deputy President's post, his predecessor Isa Samad was suspended for 6 years. Frankly, it's the same offence, a precedence has been set and Ali Rustam should be suspended for 6 years also. Better, if UMNO were really serious about stamping out money politics, they would sack Ali Rustam and the others like Khairi and Khir, sending the message that UMNO has no place for the power hungry and crooked politicians with low morals.

Instead, for the same offence, Khairi, the son in law of PM Dollah, gets off with a warning. Why? Is it because he is the son in law of the Prime Minister? For that he has a special "get out of jail" immunity pass?

It's absurd and an abomination!

Khairi should be sacked, along with Ali Rustam, and later charged with criminal proceedings by the MACC. Why are they being spared? A bribe is a bribe, call it money politics, vote buying or whatever, it's an offence.

We musn't allow people of such poor moral qualities to lead our people and nation. What example do they set for our children, our young aspiring Malays? It only aims to make them more lazy by way of them thinking of the easier and quicker way to get rich. Not by honest hard work with the gifts that Allah has given us.

However, throughout history, UMNO seems to condone senior party members like Muhammad Taib (Vice President) who was caught with a briefcase full of money in Australia. Now, he is back, contesting for the Deputy President's post like this blemish never existed.

Everyday I pray that our country doesn't allow itself to be further diminshed by these greedy people whose main aim is to enrich themselves and not the nation they are supposed to.

Khairy maintains innocence, Khir Toyo relieved
By Lee Wei Lian

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Umno Youth chief hopeful Khairy Jamaluddin has maintained he is innocent of breaching any campaign rules although he accepted the party’s disciplinary board’s decision to give him a warning.

The Umno Youth deputy chief claimed he is a victim of a political agenda to discredit him and expects more such attacks in the days ahead in te run-up to the party elections on March 25.
”The important thing is that I am still able to contest,” Khairy told The Malaysian Insider, saying he is focused on the upcoming elections.

Asked whether his rivals had initiated the charges, the first term Rembau MP said: “I don’t want to accuse anyone. But there is a political agenda behind it.” The others running for the post are Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo.

Khairy, who is also the son-in-law of outgoing party president and prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was confident the warning would not affect his chances but will take steps to counter any anticipated attacks.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khir was relieved that he had been cleared of all charges by the disciplinary board which announced its decisions today.

“I want to thank the disciplinary board for the decision,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider but declined comment whether he felt the charges were politically motivated.

“I hope they (Umno delegates) can think of what happened to me,” he said, adding he believed he still has a fair chance of becoming Umno Youth chief.

However, the Umno disciplinary committee’s decisions, including to bar Datuk Seri Ali Rustam from running for the deputy presidency, did not go down well with some members.

Muar Umno division committee member Datuk Kadar Shah Tun Sulaiman said the disciplinary board was not consistent and practised double standards.

“Why was Isa Samad suspended for six years but no such penalties were imposed on those found guilty this time?” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Tan Sri Isa, a former party vice president, was suspended in 2005 for money politics. His suspension has been lifted.

Kadar Shah says that he is giving the disciplinary board seven days to respond to a letter he delivered to them this afternoon about his dissatisfaction with their efforts to root out money politics — failing which he will refer the matter to the Registrar of Societies.

Kadar Shah had threatened on March 5 to file an injunction to stop the Umno general assembly later this month and said that he may still do so if the disciplinary board does not respond to his letter.

There has been a sense of unhappiness among party members over the charges brought against Ali as it is seen to be a political ploy to disqualify him from the race for the deputy presidency.
Ali was widely perceived to be a front runner for the post and today’s decision appears to benefit his rival, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

One Umno member told The Malaysian Insider, “This is a sad day for Umno as Datuk Seri Ali Rustam is someone that you can count on to deliver and is a very down to earth person. Hopefully, he stays the course and fights on within Umno as he is always a party-man.”

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