JOHOR BAHRU: UMNO veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Ab Samad announced today that he was not defending the Johor Bahru UMNO Division chief’s post, which he had held since the 1980s, in the upcoming party elections.
The former Johor Baru MP, who turns 74 on Nov 22 this year, said he felt it was the right time to step down and make room for a new leader.
“This allows me to be ‘Shahrir’ again. Whether I will still be active on social media (as Tok Uban on Facebook), I’m not sure yet.
“Future leaders should be given the responsibility from now on to start UMNO’s preparations for both the Johor state election and the 16th general election,” he told reporters after attending a special meeting of the Johor UMNO Liaison Body here today.
He said the move had nothing to do with the court case ruling that acquitted him of money laundering charges by the High Court early last month.
Shahrir was previously charged in court for failing to declare RM1 million received through a cheque from Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
Meanwhile, in a statement, Shahrir, who is also the UMNO Election Committee chairman, reminded all candidates who would be contesting in the 2023 UMNO election to conduct healthy campaigning and adhere to the rules of the party’s constitution.
He said any complaints involving misconduct during the campaign period should be reported to the UMNO Disciplinary Board immediately.
The UMNO election process began on Feb 1, involving meetings and elections for branch committees, as well as the Wanita, Youth, and Puteri wings and the branch level.
The delegates’ meetings and the UMNO divisional committee elections, as well as contests for seats in the UMNO Supreme Council, will be held simultaneously across the country on March 18. – BERNAMA
