Zainal, Rajasekaran retain MTUC leadership post

comments     Claudia Theophilus     Published     Updated

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Incumbents Zainal Rampak and G Rajasekaran today won with handsome majorities their respective posts as MTUC president and secretary-general at the national workers union's elections.

Zainal, who has been at the helm of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress for the past 17 years, obtained 310 votes, as opposed to his challenger Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud's 226.

This was the fourth time Syed Shahir has contested unsuccessfully to dislodge the long-time union leader.

Rajasekaran defeated his challenger Abdul Malek Ariff by a majority of 99 votes, bagging 317 votes.

A total of 541 of the 584 delegates from MTUC's 112 affiliated unions voted at the Congress' 35th Triennial Delegates Conference. The rest were absent. Several candidates contesting for the vice-presidents' post also withdrew at the eleventh hour.

The post of the deputy president was won uncontested by incumbent Mohd Shafie BP Mammal.

This was a result of a pact made between Zainal and Mohd Shafie in which the deputy leader withdrew from contesting for the top post in exchange for Zainal's pledge to relinquish the presidency on Jan 1, 2003.

Pact to be honoured

The elections were widely seen as a proxy war between Zainal and Rajasekaran. The latter's Team B won 10 top posts while Zainal's Team A bagged seven.

Today's vote-counting, lasting more than five hours, was the longest ever in the MTUC's 53-year history an indication of a neck-to-neck race for the top positions.

In a press conference after the results were announced, a jubilant Zainal said he would honour his pact with Mohd Shafie.

"By Jan 1, I will leave and Shafie will take over. It will be for the Congress' general council to endorse that," he said.

Zainal also added that he would not have any problems working with Rajasekaran despite a bitter fallout in their relationship during the run-up to this year's election.

"I'm happy with the team. We are all union leaders. We will patch things up where necessary. There are no separate teams, there is no competition," Zainal said.

'Loud and clear signal'

Asked about his plans for the 10 months that he will be in office, Zainal said: "I'm walking on the bridge now, let me cross it first.

"Ten months is a long time and many things can be done, but we will work out the future plan later. We have just been elected, and both of us promise to work together again."

Asked whether he can give an assurance that there will be no further factional feuds within the Congress, Zainal said there was no reason for doubting the team's solidarity because they were all starting afresh.

A calm and composed Rajasekaran said he respected the delegates' decision and will take the results as a "loud and clear signal" from delegates to work as one team.

"What we will do first is to give effect to the 13 resolutions which have been adopted today.

"We would be able to take different approaches and learn from past mistakes. It is a lesson for all and we can learn to improve from here."

Resolutions adopted

Among the resolutions adopted include to restore the Employees Provident Fund's (EPF) death and incapacitation benefits fund to its original maximum of RM30,000 from the amended RM2,000 currently, to revamp the EPF itself, to aggressively uphold the right to join trade unions, to repeal laws which curtail human rights and to oppose the privatisation or corporatisation of health care.

Meanwhile, Syed Shahir conceded defeat and attributed it to the pact between Zainal and Shafie.

"This has led the delegates to cast some sympathy votes for Zainal," he said, noting the slim difference of seven votes between Zainal and Rajasekaran.

The executive secretary of the National Union of Transport Equipment Allied Industry Workers said perhaps the delegates were sending a message that they wanted both the incumbents in the same team.


MTUC's new line-up (* incumbent)

President

Zainal Rampak* 310 votes (majority 84)

Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud 226

Deputy president

Mohd Shafie BP Mammal* (won unopposed)

Secretary-general

G Rajasekaran* 317 (majority 99)

Abdul Malek Ariff 218

Deputy secretary-general

Abdul Halim Mansor* 290 (majority 44)

R Chandrasekaran 246

Financial secretary

A Sivananthan* 278 (majority 49)

Samuel Devadasan 229

Deputy financial secretary (previously vacant)

Mohd Jaafar Majid 273 (majority 13)

Ng Choo Seong 260

Vice-president (private sector)

Abdul Razak Md Hassan 280

S Somahsundram 277

Kamaruszaman Mansor* 274

Wan Naim Shukri Mohamad 261

Abdul Razak Hamid 241

Vice-president (public sector)

Lim Cheng Uo 394

Anne Khoo Kim See 291

Md Yusof Harmain Shah* 264

Vice-president (statutory body)

Indera Putra Ismail* 281

Francis Ariffin* 274

Mohd Noor Abdullah 266



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