KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will conduct its inaugural party election for office bearers at its branches, divisions and Supreme Leadership Council-level in the next three months.
Party Election Committee chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said the process will include the election for posts at all levels of its Srikandi and Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (Armada) wings.
The election process will start with branch-level meetings which must be convened between Jan 25 and March 1.
This will be followed by simultaneous division-level meetings that will be conducted nationwide on April 4.
“Bersatu will hold its election for committees at branch, division and Supreme Leadership Council-level, including Srikandi and Armada wings for the first time," Syed Hamid said.
“The branches will elect (office bearers) at their respective branch and division committees. (Each) branch meeting must be preceeded by its respective Srikandi and Armada branch meetings.
“The division meetings will elect members of Bersatu’s Supreme Leadership Council, who represent the party’s leadership at national-level.
“The Srikandi and Armada divisions must also convene prior to their main divisional meetings. Srikandi and Armada divisions will elect the Srikandi and Armada office bearers at national-level.”
Syed Hamid said those who intend to contest positions at branch-level, including Srikandi and Armada, must be legitimate party members who have paid their annual fee as of Dec 31 last year, or be a life member.
“For the Armada (at branch-level), they must be aged 35 and below on Jan 1, 2019, to qualify to attend meetings and to contest for posts.”
There is no registration process for candidates who wish to constest for posts at branch-level.
On the other hand, those who intend to contest for posts at division-level are required to submit their nomination froms on Jan 13.
“Party members who intend to contest for posts at divison-level, including Srikandi and Armada, must submit their nomination form to Party Election Committee staff during the ‘Nomination Registration Day’ at their respective division office on Jan 13 from 9am to 2pm.
“If there is no division office, the Party Election Committee will determine a location for the nomination registration.”
Syed Hamid said a candidate for any post must fill up a nomination form prepared by the Party Election Committee, and have a proposer and seconder.
“Potential candidates must attach original copies of Insolvensy-Free Confirmation Status and their membership status," he said.
Nomination forms can be downloaded from the party’s website (bersatu.org) or from the Party Election Committees at the state-level.
“During Nomination Registration Day, staff of the Party Election Committee will prepare forms for candidates. Nomination forms can be submitted by the candidate, or proposer, or seconder.
“Members are advised to check the status of their membership at divisions and branches from Jan 7, 2020, to Jan 12, 2020,” he said.
Meanwhile, party secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya said the party election would involve almost all of the 201 divisions and 2,138 branches nationwide.
“Only the divisions in Sarawak will not be involved this time, as many of them are still newly-formed pro-tem divisions,” he said.
Bersatu celebrated its third anniversary on Sept 8 last year. Based on its constitution, a party election should be called every three years, but the party leadership decided to postpone it due to several unresolved matters with newly-formed divisions and branches at that time.