Sunday July 25, 2004

Ex-Perak menteri besar loses Pasir Salak

TELUK INTAN: Former Perak mentri besar Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib has failed to defend his seat as Pasir Salak Umno division chief, a post he had held for the past 26 years.

He was defeated by his former deputy, Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, once known as “The Six Million Dollar Man”, by a 50-vote margin.

Ramli, 63, who is Pasir Salak MP, received 207 votes while Tajuddin, 56, who is first-time Kampung Gajah assemblyman, obtained 257 votes.

ALL THE BEST: Ramli congratulating Tajuddin after the results were announced yesterday.

At the previous party polls, Ramli defeated former Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayob with a 11-vote majority.

Ramli, who was deputy transport minister before the general election in March, was nominated by 34 Umno branches to defend his division seat compared with 69 nominations obtained by Tajuddin.

More than 1,000 people including delegates were present at the Kampung Gajah multi-purpose hall, about 25km from here, when the results were announced at 5.15pm by a representative from the state Umno liaison committee Datuk Ramly Zahari.

Speaking to reporters later, Ramli, who accepted the defeat, said he would not contest for the supreme council seat he was nominated for.

“I am one of the most senior members in the supreme council, besides three or four others.

“I was elected in 1984. So I think it's time for me to move on and make way for others because there are many new and younger members.

“I have made my contribution and I will still be around to give my undivided support to Umno and its leadership,” he said, adding that he did not regret his defeat as it was the choice of the delegates.

Tajuddin said the win was very meaningful to him as he had been in Umno for the last 30 years, fighting its cause.

“I had some difficulties in the past.

“There were some misunderstandings but that was the past, and I am looking towards the future now,” he said.

In the 1993 division's meeting, Tajuddin had fielded a proxy to challenge Ramli after he was disqualified for practising money politics.

The claims that he had splurged RM6mil in his bid against Ramli, then the Perak Mentri Besar, had earned him the nickname “The Six Million Dollar Man”.

In Muar, the Bakri Umno division Youth pro-tem chief Mazlan Sabari yesterday failed to win the post and lost to his challenger Fuad Tukirin by 21 votes at the wing’s meeting.

Mazlan, who received 40 nominations against Fuad’s 27, garnered 131 votes while Fuad received 152 votes.

In Ipoh, the Gopeng Umno division meeting held last Sunday has been annulled and a fresh meeting will be reconvened at a date to be determined after the Umno Management Committee meeting tomorrow.

Gopeng Umno division secretary Ahmad Zairun Yang Rezali said the annulment letter was received two days ago from the Umno executive secretary following complaints from the division’s members that some delegates to the meeting were not Umno members.

Bernama reported Ahmad Zairun as saying that the committee, in its meeting, would review in detail the objections raised and decide on when a fresh meeting would be held.

At the recent Gopeng Umno division meeting, Datuk Aziz Samsuddin was returned unopposed as the division chief.

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