KUALA LUMPUR - Ever the adamant, Umno Youth defied the view of its party numero uno and will not back down from demanding DAP to apologise for its past insults that it had hurled against Umno.
"I don't care if people call us rude or annoying. What matters the most is that we brought the voice of Umno's grassroots,"
"We will not withdraw the statement that we made this morning.
"This is final," said Youth Chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh when winding up the wing's general meeting for the year 2023, at the party headquarters here today.
Earlier today, Akmal demanded that DAP show proof that the party will not repeat any of its anti-Malay and anti-Islam remarks that were spewed in the past by tendering an apology.
He believed that such needed to be done given how most Umno members were still very much concerned and worried about the ongoing political cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
However, party President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took a different stand, arguing that he did not see the predominantly-Chinese party's need to apologise.
"Such issues do not need to be brought up again.
"In our negotiations to form the unity government (with Pakatan Harapan); the matters (that are Islam and Malay-centric) were our main conditions.
"They (DAP) gave us their full commitment, so there is no need for us to repeat what they have already agreed to," said Zahid, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister.