PUTRAJAYA: Either everyone gets it or none at all, is the view of Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Selangor Umno handing back 20 local council posts to the Pakatan Harapan-led state government.
He said the party would continue to work with the state government despite not being a part of any of the local councils in the state.
Ahmad Zahid, who is the Deputy Prime Minister, said Selangor Umno had 22 division heads, while the party was allotted 20 local council posts.
“So in this case, rather than some getting it and others not, it is better that none get it,” he said when asked about the decision made by Selangor Umno recently.
Speaking to reporters after an engagement session with the Malaysian Motorcycle Association, Ahmad Zahid dismissed talk that the move was because Umno was greedy and was unhappy with the number of local council posts given.
He said a meeting with the state division chiefs was held on Sunday night to hear from them.
“The division chiefs had expressed their opinion and it is not that they are offended, as some have claimed. We leave it to the Selangor government under the leadership of (Mentri Besar) Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari to determine how best Umno can play a part to support programmes at the local councils,” he added.
On Saturday, Selangor Umno chairman Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin reportedly said that the party decided to hand back the 20 local council posts but denied that it was done in protest.
He said the decision to return the post was to rebuff claims that Umno was “greedy” and “demanding”, and pointed out that 20 out of the 288 local council posts worked out to only 7%.
He was also reported to have said that Umno wanted all 373 village development and security committee chairman posts in Selangor.
