Umno Youth may be hardline, but not against party president - members

 

While Umno Youth might often appear to take a hardline or radical approach when expressing its views, such positioning should not be interpreted as part of an agenda to go against party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Instead, the party’s youth wing has expressed its satisfaction over the acceptance of its “demands” at the recent Umno annual general assembly (AGM), which concluded yesterday.

According to Umno Youth information chief Sollehin Tajie, there was a sense of cohesion at the AGM, as conveyed in Zahid’s policy speech.

“What we mentioned and what the president upheld were the same things. This is the first time I’ve felt there was such cohesion at an Umno AGM - perhaps (previously), delegates did not understand what was happening in our complex political landscape,” Sollehin (above) told Malaysiakini.

“In terms of decorum and delivery, (delegates from) the youth wing may be rather hardline, while the president’s language is softer, but the intention is the same.

“There is no problem (with the president), we accept it. If you ask me, having two out of three of our demands met is a great success for us,” he added.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged that there were some differences in opinions when Umno Youth pushed for the party to leave the unity government, with the top leadership opposing the call.

“Maybe we (Umno Youth) feel quite rushed when asking for (the party) to leave the government, but as our president, (Zahid) has to examine the matter carefully - at the very least, he accepted our views,” Sollehin said.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Umno’s direction

Previously, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh had openly urged the Malay nationalist party to leave the coalition government and assume the role of the opposition to rebuild its strength.

Speaking at the Umno Youth special convention regarding the party’s direction in the unity government in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 3, the Merlimau assemblyperson told party members and leaders not to fear being in the opposition.

He said this was especially so as Umno’s “red lines” had been crossed by certain parties in the unity government, particularly DAP.

However, Zahid later said the party will remain part of the coalition government until the end of the current parliamentary term and the 16th general election, with the sentiment reiterated at the Umno AGM.

No boundaries crossed

For Umno Youth exco Fariz Hazirin Ismail, there is nothing wrong with the radical stance adopted by the wing, as even party presidents had previously gone through similar phases before rising in the ranks.

Fariz asserted that while Akmal is considered outspoken in voicing out on certain issues, the leader has not crossed any boundaries set by the party.

Umno Youth exco Fariz Hazirin Ismail

“There is nothing wrong with making mistakes - these are youth. Sometimes their planning and behaviour may be somewhat radical (while) certain things may make people uncomfortable, but these are youth.

“To me, all that Akmal has done has not gone against any of the party’s red lines, even though sometimes, on the surface, he might appear not to be completely aligned with higher-ranking leaders,” he added.

Fariz also stressed that the president’s policy speech and the demands raised by Umno Youth at the special convention were aligned and not in conflict.

Jerlun Umno Youth chief Nazri Arshat similarly said there was no clash between the youth wing and the party’s top leadership, despite how the wing’s manner of delivery in conveying its views might appear somewhat aggressive.

“We are not trying to fight, but we want our voices to be heard because we carry the aspirations and voice of the rakyat.

“Thank God the party leadership has listened to what we have voiced,” he said. - Mkini