Umno General Assembly focuses on people's interests – Zahid

SHAH ALAM - Unlike previous editions that were more focused on political discussions and internal party matters, the 2024 Umno General Assembly, which begins today, has chosen to focus on issues related to the people's interests.

Its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the highly anticipated assembly of over three million members would concentrate on the people's issues.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman said that the Umno divisional meetings held earlier also raised more motions involving the people's interests.

He confirmed that the four-day assembly would not delve into resolutions regarding party elections, particularly concerning the contest for the top two positions.

In a special interview in conjunction with the assembly held recently, Zahid also touched on various other issues, including Umno's preparations for the 16th General Election (PRU16).

Sinar: What is the main focus of the assembly?

Zahid: This year, we are not delving into resolutions on party elections. The elections will only take place in 2026. We are not even thinking about that. What we are considering is how to translate agendas, for instance, I am chairing the Bumiputera Congress, and how far the six pillars within the Bumiputera with over 90 programmes can be implemented.

Although these are government programmes, we in the party leadership must look at them in the party's context to help the government implement them.

Similarly, with the National TVET Council (Technical and Vocational Education and Training), although it is a government programme, as the party president, I must inform the members not to miss the opportunity to send their children or the younger generation to join TVET.

The same goes for the Halal Malaysia Council that I chair. We found that Halal entrepreneurs (Bumiputera) have participated in programmes held and know about halal product ingredients, but 87 per cent (of those who obtained certification) were not even contributed by Muslims. This means we are open (to helping), but the opportunity was not taken.

So, the main focus of this assembly is on the people's issues, TVET, halal and tahfiz.

Sinar: This is the second assembly held after Umno joined the unity government. Will issues regarding Umno's cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) be discussed?

For the 2024 Umno General Assembly, we are on the verge of the third year in the unity government. So, for the first two years, we feel that the compatibility within the government, especially among Cabinet Ministers, is very good.

This can be seen from the decisions made by the Cabinet under the guidance of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. We can see that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation rate and salary adjustments, for example, are among the important elements implemented by the Madani Government.

Sinar: In this assembly, do you think the representatives will be more outspoken and criticise the party?

Differing opinions or criticisms are common in any Umno General Assembly, but we have our way of handling differences in opinions or criticisms if they arise and I think we must be open to accepting any criticism for the party's benefit.

Sinar: Is there a screening process for the speeches of the representatives?

No. It's free for all, but we make adjustments on the issues raised, which must be based on the keynote address.

Sinar: How do you view the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the three wings: Wanita, Youth and Puteri? If we look at it, the Youth seem to be ahead compared to the others.

We must analyse what is happening.

One, is regarding public statements. The second is activities and the third is being in touch with the grassroots.

If a wing is said to be very forward just because of the statements made, that is not fair to the other two wings. Although they don't issue statements, in terms of activities, they are the most active.

I am grateful because during the Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan, the candidate was from our wing. I saw that the Youth worked hard.

In fact, the Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, did not leave Neggiri for two weeks.

So, this is a matter of perception based on observation, but in reality, it is not the case. It means that all three wings have actually adopted the best methods and approaches according to their own mould.

Sinar: Is Umno ready to become Prime Minister again and are you confident that Umno will regain dominance in PRU16?

Regarding Umno's readiness to become Prime Minister again, it depends on whether Umno gets the most seats or not.

There is no point in wanting to be this or that if we only win a few seats. So we must avoid getting only a few seats and rebuild our strength.

We are optimistic that we can become dominant, but at the same time, we cannot be overconfident because what is important is cooperation with all parties in the unity government.

In Peninsular Malaysia, we have two coalition parties, PH and BN.

For Sabah and Sarawak, we have Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and we have a party that is not part of the coalition, but the understanding among the main leaders is top-notch. It's just that we must translate this to a lower level.

Sinar: Last year, Umno invited parties within the unity government to attend the assembly. Why were no other parties invited this year?

Coincidentally, the Prime Minister is not in the country, and we thought this time we would invite only parties within the BN component and friends of BN.

Sinar: Some perceive that you tend to focus more on the Supreme Working Council (MKT) member Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Vice President Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, rather than Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. What is your comment on this?

I treat everyone equally. Tok Mat (Mohamad) is my deputy president, and if I wanted to save myself only, why would I bring Tok Mat upon the proposal from the representatives that the two positions should not be contested?

So, if there are those who have that perception, they need to correct the situation.

Sinar: Are you a dictator?

If I were a dictator, I would have long removed those who disagreed with me, but that has not happened.

Feel free to criticise or touch on my personal matters, but if it contradicts the party's stance and tarnishes the party's image, I cannot compromise.

Sinar: How confident are you that Umno can restore the country's economy?

I am very confident. We see that the inflation rate is at 2.2 per cent, while GDP has increased to 5.9 per cent, our foreign exchange rate shows that the value of the ringgit has risen, and the unemployment rate has decreased.

I think we should be grateful because our economic growth has outpaced several Asean countries.

The Prime Minister has made the best efforts to achieve this, and we should support what he has done.