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Date: 08 Aug 1999
Time: 23:40:54
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Exco shies away from no-confidence plan
By Shahanaaz Sher Habib
PETALING JAYA: Wanita Umno exco members yesterday distanced themselves from a call from among their ranks for a no-confidence motion against Datuk Dr Siti Zaharah Sulaiman.
An exco member who declined to be named said the call appeared to be "just a bluff to gertak (spur)" the Wanita chief to sit up and take notice.
"Of course, no exco member would dare table such a motion, especially when Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad told us to close ranks and put internal problems in deep freeze.
"If we are not about to face the general election, then a no-confidence motion might have been a possibility. But surely this is not the time for it," she said.
Another exco member said the women were "really annoyed" that Dr Siti Zaharah took so long to comment on the reversal of the reshuffle in the movement.
"Is this her way of lodging her protest against the decision? If she really was that sick, surely she would have been hospitalised.
"In any case, her silence fuelled speculation and led to exco members making all sorts of statements in the press--which made it seem as if the Wanita wing is split.
"It is already a slap in the face for the Wanita chief having to rescind the reshuffle. That is good enough for us," she said.
On Saturday, a Negri Sembilan exco member said the movement may move for a no-confidence motion against Dr Siti Zaharah as her action was "not befitting" that of a leader.
Exco member Mesrah Selamat, when contacted, likened internal problems in the movement to differences in a household between a husband a wife, which would get sorted out at the end of the day.