Rais wants investigation

(NST) – The Umno disciplinary board should consider investigating all the members of the Umno supreme council for money politics, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

His suggestion of looking into money politics yesterday come barely 48 hours after the delegates cast their votes at the 59th Umno general assembly.

"I hope the disciplinary board will look deeper into the matter beyond what they see presently. The talk about gifts and distribution was among the top topics of the day," he said.

Rais, who lost in his bid for a vice-president's post, said it seemed to him that the advice by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak against money politics went mostly unheeded.

"If you see the supreme council list, a few of them have hardly touched ground with real politics, yet they're in.

"We can't conclude yet, but a serious study must be done by the relevant authority in Umno," he said.

He hoped that money politics will be a thing of the past for Umno.

He also said that age was not a factor working against him.

"I could give the younger ones a run for their money for some of the things we do," he said.

Rais dispelled rumours that he would quit his ministrial post following Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad's intention to do so after he lost in the Umno elections.