‘Plan to hand over party’s leadership has been agreed upon’

LUMUT: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he would not retract his commitment to the power transition plan even if there were branches nominating him for the post of Umno president in the party’s December elections.

The power transition plan had been agreed upon, said Najib who is the party’s deputy president and Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister.

He said he was committed to the plan under which Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is also Prime Minister will hand over the party’s leadership to Najib in the middle of 2010.

“I don’t mind the branches because what is important is the stance at the division level,” he said when asked to comment on a motion passed by the Kampung Ubai Umno branch of his own Pekan division for him to contest for the presidency.

He said there were many branches in a division and it was the division’s position that mattered, he said.

“I have said I am committed to the transition plan, I have stated my position so, the divisions with the same commitment will nominate me as deputy president and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as president,” he said.

Najib said nominations at the branch level were not of great significance because it would not influence the division which had set its mind with regard to power transition plan.

In Sabah, for example, there was a division having over 400 branches and it was the division which would determine its stance at the divisional meeting, he said.

Earlier, Najib who is also Defence Minister chaired the Malaysian Defence Industry Council’s inaugural meeting at the Royal Malaysian Navy base yesterday.

— Bernama