It's not about my son but the selection process, says Puad on quit decision

Former Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi has rebutted party secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki’s claim that he quit the party because his son was not selected as a candidate in the Johor state election.

Instead, Puad said his departure was driven by dissatisfaction with Umno Johor’s candidate selection process, which he alleged was influenced by “certain parties” and tainted by cronyism.

He questioned why former Endau assemblyperson Alwiyah Talib, who had served two terms under Bersatu, was selected as the BN candidate for Endau less than a month after rejoining Umno.

“Whose doing was that? Alwiyah is 64 years old. Why sacrifice the Johor Puteri chief, who is also the Mersing Puteri chief? Was the Mersing Youth chief also not qualified?

“Why did BN reject young candidates? Is Alwiyah really that exceptional?” he said in a Facebook post today.

Puad also cited the replacement of incumbent Tiram assemblyperson Azizul Bachok with senator Halim Sulaiman, 64, describing it as another example of cronyism.

“That is the candidate selection system that I protested. When my objections were ignored, what other choice did I have?

“The party has become the exclusive property of a select few. That is why I carried out this political ‘kamikaze’ to awaken the leadership,” he said.

Candidacy recommendation

Responding to criticism over his son’s proposed candidacy, Puad said there was nothing wrong with recommending a family member who was capable and had been groomed for the role.

“What is wrong with proposing my son? If it is not allowed, why was the daughter of the Ledang division chief allowed to contest in Serom?” he asked.

Puad further said he would elaborate on the candidate selection process in a separate post over the next few days.

He also alleged that the children and spouses of several Umno leaders at party headquarters had been appointed to positions in government-linked companies, saying he would disclose further details in a separate posting.

The Johor state assembly speaker earlier today announced his decision to quit Umno over alleged royal interference in party matters and the upcoming state polls.

In a statement responding to Puad, Johor caretaker menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi denied the palace had instructed him to dissolve the legislature.

Puad’s allegations also triggered over 100 police reports against him by Umno divisions in Johor and other states.

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