Abdul Kadir quits Umno that has never bought votes

Kadir Sheikh Fadzir quits Umno

By Yow Hong Chieh

March 19, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — Former Information Minister and Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir resigned as an Umno member today after 56 years in the ruling party.

He said in a statement he handed in his notice of resignation to Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor earlier today, just a week after quitting his division treasurer’s post.

Abdul Kadir (picture) made headlines in January when he accused the ruling party of handing out between RM200 and RM1,000 to voters in previous elections in exchange for votes.

The former Umno supreme council member, however, had denied personally using the “bomb” strategy to win elections in Kulim-Bandar Baharu where he was MP for 30 years from 1978.

He also denied making the claim out of frustration for having been sidelined in the party, stressing that his relationship with the present administration and Umno leadership remained warm.

Tengku Adnan, however, has denied Abdul Kadir’s allegations that Umno had resorted to money politics, pointing out that the party has never bought votes and did not need to.

He added that as an Umno man Abdul Kadir should not be issuing statements that could tarnish the party’s reputation and questioned why the latter did not just quit Umno.

“If he feels Umno is not right, why hasn’t he left the party?” the former tourism minister had been quoted as saying by Bernama Online.

Money politics is an open secret, in fact, not a secret at all. What’s worse, many are not interested in even hiding the fact of vote-buying. Sadly, the younger generation is into it as well.

Marina Mahathir on "money politics" in elections during Umno General Assembly.

Umno has never bought votes?

Nobody believes in Umno any more than the boy who cried wolf!