PETALING JAYA: Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi quit Umno after the party refused to consider his son as its candidate for the Rengit seat, claims Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
The Umno secretary-general said he was saddened by Puad's decision to quit Umno with immediate effect, but described allegations that Umno was controlled by external parties as "slanderous" and misleading.
"He (Puad) himself wrote to me at length, threatening to leave the party and attack it if the top Umno leadership did not consider his son as a candidate in Rengit," said Asyraf in a statement on Thursday (June 25).
Earlier, Puad announced he quit Umno, stating the decision was not driven by self-interest but by concerns over what he described as external interference in Johor Umno's affairs.
Asyraf acknowledged that Puad's son was young and had leadership potential but stressed that candidate selection involved multiple considerations and could not be based solely on family succession.
He said it was inappropriate for a veteran leader to pressure the party by insisting that his son replace him as the candidate for the state seat, adding that such demands ran contrary to Umno's principles.
Asyraf also alleged that this was not the first time Puad had threatened to leave the party when his demands were not met, claiming he had made a similar threat during former president Datuk Seri Najib Razak's presidency, if he was not renominated as Batu Pahat MP.
"Umno is not a hereditary party that prioritises family members and relatives to become leaders," he said.
Asyraf also said that the party's struggle is larger than individual interests and that no individual should pressure the party over personal demands.
Barisan Nasional on Thursday (June 24) unveiled its full slate of 56 candidates for the Johor election.
