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This is because the delegates will be deciding on Umno’s crucial direction, which includes endorsing the party’s Supreme Council decision not to cooperate with PPBM when facing the next general election.
Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the motion to sever ties with PPBM will obviously be dominating the flow of the party’s assembly.
“Between Jan 1-3, a total of 760 meetings were convened involving Umno Youth, Puteri and Wanita members in 190 divisions except for the suspended Tanah Merah division in Kelantan. The main motion raised by 124 out of 190 divisions was for Umno to have no cooperation with PPBM,” he said.
Umno had on March 4 written to PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin to inform him of Umno’s decision to no longer cooperate with his party at GE15, but said that its position within the Perikatan Nasional-led (PN) government would continue until Parliament was dissolved.
With a plethora of issues plaguing the country’s current political landscape, the assembly which will begin tomorrow is expected to be a “hot affair” and would most certainly capture the attention of Malaysians, including political analysts who are eager to know the next step of the 75-year-old Malay party.
The other most palatable issue on the menu of the assembly is likely to be its partnership with PAS in Muafakat Nasional, an opposition alliance that was formed after the last general election.
The “cosy” relationship had been put to severe test of late because PAS is now part of PN together with PPBM, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Gerakan.
Umno has on the other hand, been repeatedly saying it was not part of PN but was merely supporting the coalition to form the government.
Observers say with Umno ready to cut off ties with PPBM, PAS has been put in a spot as it needed to be in PN to be part of the government, and at the same time be grateful to Umno for enabling the fall of Pakatan Harapan thus paving the way for it to be in the federal equation.
Ahmad said the MN issue would be the second motion that will be discussed at the general assembly, followed by others on education, economy and religion.
Another interesting issue that could light up the assembly, according to observers, is the statement by Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob two weeks ago. He said that the decision made by the Supreme Council can be changed by the delegates at the assembly.
On this, Ahmad, who is also Barisan Nasional secretary-general, said no division had submitted any motion to that effect so far.
“I have yet to hear any delegate wanting to voice out their disagreement (on the motion). That has been Umno’s tradition. When the delegates agree, all motions will be approved,” he said, adding that the decision was by consensus after a six-hour meeting on Feb 19.
Ahmad said that the presence of Umno and BN within the PN government was merely to support the government led by Muhyiddin and that they had never actually been part of the PN coalition.
“We only lent them our MPs to support the ruling coalition. It’s not suitable for us to become another component party in PN because we are already in BN which has been there for so long. We have Umno, MCA, MIC and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) in BN,” he said.
The general assembly will be held in a hybrid manner with physical attendance at the World Trade Centre and virtually from 190 Umno divisions nationwide, except Sarawak.
It will begin with the simultaneous opening of the Wanita, Youth and Puteri meetings by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan tomorrow with the president’s policy speech coming a day after at the opening of the general assembly.
Under the new norm and in compliance with the standard operating procedures to curb Covid-19, no public observers or guests were invited and no stalls or food trucks have been allowed to operate outside the venue unlike before.
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