Strange happenings: MUBARAK 5th AGM

27.7.2008.

I've just arrived home from Kuala Terengganu, this Sunday 27th. July, after attending MUBARAK's 5th. AGM yesterday. My wife and I left Primula Hotel after breakfast at 8 sharp. After stops at Chukai, Kuantan, Muadzam Shah and my mother's house in Kuala Pilah, we finally made it to Ampangan at about 7.15 pm, making the drive almost 12 hours. 

We left for Kuala Terengganu on Friday 25th. at 7 am sharp and made only one stop on the Kuantan - Astana Golf Resort bypass for refuelling and refreshments, and arrived at the Primula at 1.30 pm. That's 6 1/2 hours, about half the time that we took on the return journey. 

Strange. After checking in, we were asked to go to our room ahead of our luggage, the bell boy assuring us it would be brought up right away. Our room was 2 floors above the lobby. It took the bell boy a good 30 minutes. 

Strange. I tried to call Dato' Ismail on my cell phone to join me for lunch, but the phone said "no signal". I tried other numbers, just in case Dato' Ismail's phone was off or malfunctioning. "No signal" came out each time. This had never happened before. 

Strange. The first function was the grand dinner with the DPM scheduled for 8.30 p.m. He duly arrived with the kompangs' accompaniment at 8.35. That's a full 5 minutes late. Last year in Ipoh Dollah  was guest of honour. He came only about 75 minutes late. So Najib's punctuality is strange. 

But the strangest of all was reserved for the actual proceedings of the AGM on Saturday. We went through the usual stuff. The MB sent the Speaker as his rep. to declare open the AGM. Apparently he was summoned to KL that very morning. After the Acting President's usual rambling, without-notes opening address, the Speaker spoke and officiated. The traditional gifts were given out. And we broke for refreshments. 

Then the AGM proper started. The elected Permanent Chairman announced 159 attendees, including 33 Supreme Council Members. Then the announcement that the Posts of President, Permanent Chairman and the two auditors were uncontested. So the elections to follow were only for those of the Deputy and Vice Presidents. Then came the 3 resolutions proposed, one from the Supreme Council, the second one from Perak, and the third from Selangor.

On the first one, it wasn't cleverly tabled by the spokesman who began by saying that there was a typing error (in these days of pcs ?) that in fact turned out to be such a lengthy error that I shouted "mental error !". This resolution, coming from the Supreme Council, and  seconded by one from the same group, was strange. There wasn't any protestation from the floor. 

The fireworks came with the second one. As a member of the Supreme Council said to me during the lunch break, this was a "bodek" resolution. The Perak spokesman, a Supreme Councilor, resplendent in his off-white suit, confidently tabled his proposal with no inkling of what would follow. In a gist the proposal was saying how important it is that the country's leadership (meaning Dollah) should get solid support from all quarters and that this AGM should unanimously give full backing to him to steer the country. Now all this while  Mokhtar Hashim was sitting next to me in the Negeri Sembilan delegates row. You have to pardon Mokhtar for his conviction. He turn to me and said with conviction "I'm going to object to this, and ask that the transfer of power be done by December '08". I encouraged him vigorously, tapping at his hand, "go ahead, go ahead, I support you". 

In fact this time around there were many ex-Ministers present. With Mokhtar were Abu Hassan Omar,  Sabaruddin Chik,  Khalid Yunus and  Ibrahim Saad, plus the ex-Deputy MBs of Pahang, Selangor and Kelantan. Anyway, as soon as the proposal was read,  Mokhtar jumped to the microphone conveniently standing on the aisle just next to our table. He spoke in his usual ( I remember this from when he was the President of Students Union University of Malaya in 1965) slow style, you know, the one you feel like finishing his sentence for him. Slow but clear and not stammering. His points:  this is not proper, a proposal from a member of the Supreme Council and seconded by another, not from the floor;  this has not been discussed and cannot be deemed unanimous;  the President of UMNO cannot promise something he has no authority to give -  his own authority ends in December 2008. In the next slow breath  Mokhtar said the proposal should be reworded to include "the transfer of power of the incumbent President of UMNO should take place in December 2008 !" 

By this time the crowd were stirred. Sainy sitting on my left muttered "this is wrong, we'll embarass Pak Lah". The Supreme Councillors on the stage were agitated. The proposer and seconder were stunned. The Permanent Chairman appeared confused. The whole hall was now loud, with shouts and sporadic clapping. Then the Perlis delegate went to the mike. I thought this is in support, because of the shenanigans in Perlis before and after the Genaral Elections. Sure enough, I was right. Amid the shoutings and the gesturing and the worried discussions on stage there was sounded a proposal to take a vote. After the urging from the floor, the Permanent Chairman finally said to take a vote.  Sainy said to me "you'll lose". By implication that should mean the winner wins the day. I said take the count and see who wins. "You'll see" he retorted.

The count was 82 in support of  Mokhtar's counter proposal, and 22 in support of the original one. Since there were 33 Supreme Council Members, this means that   if the entire 22 were from them, only 66% of the Supreme Councillors supported the original proposal. In fact most of the 22 came from the floor. Which meant that only a minority of the Supreme Council Members supported their own member's proposal. Strange.

Sainy said majority doesn't mean right. I think he forgot what he said earlier. By this time the meeting was getting out of control.  Ibrahim Saad took the mike, but again it was in support of  Mokhtar. Then the Penang Supreme Councillor took the mike. It was obvious that he was distressed. He said he must support the original proposal. Mind you, this is after the voting. Then the other Perak Supreme Councillor shouted "we withdraw, we withdraw !" The memeber who tabled the proposal then took the mike and said "We are withdrawing the proposal."  Mokhtar then took the mike again, protesting "how can you withdraw, the vote has been taken !"  Khalid Yunus jumped in the fray. "I've been in many meetings (he was the UMNO Youth Permanent Chairman). I've never seen this. Are you all "pandir ?" ( sometimes meaning " out of your mind", mostly meaning " stupidly insane").  Mokhtar came back to the mike. "If the Chairman decides to withdraw the proposal, then I want the entire proceedings reported vebatim." The Chairman acknowledged  Mokhtar's demand, and still with the crowd restless and unpacified, the meeting went on to the next proposal. 

This was duly tabled, and the gist of it was to change the Constitution so that the membership is only opened to BN.  Nordin from Melaka expansively declared that procedures have to be followed. But  Yazid Baba was more mundane, but equally effective when he said that the Constitution is the  basis of the organization's activities and yet there are glaring errors 5 years into the organization's life. The existing position of the Chairman is contradictory to the actual proceedings of the day because the Constitution says the President acts as the chairman, and yet a different person was elected. So the management committe should look carefully at the entire constitution again. 

Mokhtar said to me "there's the difference between a practicing lawyer and a sitting lawyer ( meaning the President !). The Permanent Chairman thought this was a good time to call for lunch break. Strange !

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