KUALA LUMPUR: Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will take over as Perak Umno liaison committee chairman and state Barisan Nasional chairman, replacing former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali who has resigned from the posts with immediate effect.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi will also replace Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin who resigned as the state liaison committee deputy chairman.

Najib and Zahid will hold the posts until after the party elections in March after which new appointments will be made, Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said at about 12.40am last night after chairing an Umno supreme council meeting at Menara Dato Onn here.

He said Tajol Rosli had briefed the meeting on the situation in Perak and the crossing over of Bota state assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim to PKR.

Abdullah said Tajol Rosli had also informed the council that he wanted to give up the posts and that it was better for someone else to lead Perak. “We respect his decision,” he said.

On another matter Abdullah said the supreme council also decided to increase the number of officers in the Umno disciplinary board. This, he said, was because the board could then pay more attention to cases and make quick decisions on them including those involved in money politics.

The meeting also discussed the recent Kuala Terenganu by-election in which Umno lost the seat to Pas.

Abdullah said the post-mortem report would be scrutinised by the party’s management committee.

The supreme council also decided to look into implementing several suggestions that were made during the Umno retreat held last year.

He said there were several suggestions such as those involving the party election process, the quota and voting system which needed thorough studying.

He said if these suggestions were scrutinised now during the few months leading to the leadership transition, they could then be implemented quickly after the new leaders take over.

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