At party assembly, Umno youth claims victory over EPF withdrawals

KUALA LUMPUR - Umno has remained a party that champions the welfare of the people by continuously pushing for people-centric policies, said party Youth Chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

This is evident, said Asyraf, when the party had constantly pushed for the withdrawals of the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), a moratorium on bank loans, cash aid, and a further increase in business incentives.

“Many are uncomfortable with the fact that the party wing is outspoken. They are of the opinion that we are too populist.

“We will not abandon the people when they are suffering,” said Asyraf during his opening speech for the Youth Wing during the party's annual general assembly at the World Trade Centre here today.

He then thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who approved the much-awaited additional RM10,000 EPF withdrawals.

Claiming that Ismail Sabri was caught between a rock and a hard place, Asyraf Wajdi said the party will not blame the former for deliberating for a long while to approve the request, as he is bound by demands from all sides.

“We are proud to be the first to defend the rights of the people,” he added.

Meanwhile, Asyraf also reminded party members that younger voters wanted to choose leaders with integrity and will only vote for parties that can be relied upon.

“Young people are no longer excited about the promises of development or are they interested in political rhetoric.

“The people voted for us because we offered them clear and stable policies along with credible candidates,'' he said, referring further to their recent landslide win in the Johor and Melaka state elections.

He also said that the party’s advantage lies in its diversity and argued that the younger generation does not all share the same views and opinions.

He also reminded the delegates present not to be swayed by efforts to expedite party elections before a general election is called.

“If another were to take place before the general election (GE15), how many of these youth leaders in front of me would not be around anymore due to age restrictions?

“With this, the Umno Youth wing would like to propose to the top leadership to amend the party constitution like our component partner MCA has done so that party elections are held only after each general election so as to prevent any attempts to sabotage or weaken the unity and strength of the party,” he said.