Beware of ‘anti-Najib’ group, Umno branch leaders told

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor speaks to Umno branch leaders at the opening of the Federal Territories branches’ meeting. He has warned members to be careful of the Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 13, 2016. Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor today warned branch leaders to be wary of attempts to coax them into signing a memorandum demanding the party president's resignation.

Addressing the Batu Umno Wanita branch members at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Tengku Adnan said he received “confidential” information that a group within the party would try to persuade Umno Wanita branch leaders to sign a memorandum against Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Naming the group as GKCM (Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia), Tengku Adnan said the movement would approach the Wanita and Puteri leaders to get them to sign the memorandum.

"The movement will say we all agree that the president must resign. In my analysis there are only 70 branches (that have joined the movement)," he said.

He added when he found out about this, he told the person who initiated it that the motion cannot be used.

"He was angry when I told him that," said Tengku Adnan.

He cautioned the branch leaders to be wary and said the group would use the people who were not in favour of the leaders to execute their plan.

Former Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir reportedly said in a video recently that Umno branches were barred from approving any motion of no-confidence against Najib.

According to a blogger the video was a recording of a speech Mukhriz gave in Kota Baru, Kelantan, on March 7.

Mukhriz reportedly said the prohibition was to silent the grassroots, which went against the party norm.

Najib has been facing internal rejection from 34 branch leaders calling themselves the Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia. The group has been pushing for Najib's resignation. – March 13, 2016.