By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
They came, they heard, they left.
There was no debate, and neither were there pleas for Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi to stay back when the Prime Minister met Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council leaders to day to announce his impending departure next March.
"After briefing us, he sought our opinion but all component leaders respected his decision,"
Gerakan vice-president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said, pointing out that it was not so much a discussion but a briefing.
No component leader present had anything to add or amend to Abdullah's plan to make way for his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak to stand for president in the March 2009 Umno elections.
People's Progressive Party president Datuk Dr. M. Kayveas said that after Abdullah had briefed them, Najib then addressed the council and told them "we have to function as one Malaysia."
As far as his party was concerned, Kayveas said "we have no problems working with anybody."
He admitted that in fact, the transition plan did not really require input from the other BN leaders as "traditionally it is a party matter for Umno to decide" and concurred that the meeting was simply to brief them on Umno's leadership plans.
The supreme council meeting had initially come about due to calls by component leaders for the matter to be brought up at a coalition meeting as the president of Umno is also by default, chairman or the ruling BN coalition and hence, prime minister.
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