'SOUL-SEARCHING' SESSION: Umno leaders deny split at party birthday summit

KUALA LUMPUR - The Umno Supreme Council meeting today became a platform for its members to voice concerns over issues affecting the party and government, but all came out satisfied after detailed explanations were given by party president Najib Razak.

Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said although various issues were raised, all spoke out and all were eventually satisfied.

“All unanimously supported the clarifications on the issues raised,” he told reporters after attending the meeting at Menara Dato’ Onn, here, yesterday.

Among the issues highlighted at the meeting were 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the purchase of Tun Razak Exchange land by Lembaga Tabung Haji as well as the party’s performance in the Rompin and Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-elections.

Another Umno vice-president, Hishammuddin Hussein also described the meeting as more of a soul-searching session. “The meeting reflected on the rumours about a split among Umno members which was proven to be not true,” he said.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said discussions among the Supreme Council members only touched on current issues and not about the position of any leader in the party.

In fact, the claims by former information minister Zainuddin Maidin in his blog that there was a movement in Umno to oust Najib was a completely unfounded allegation, he added.

Khairy said Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, informed the council that the claim by former minister Zaid Ibrahim of a purported secret meeting between him and other parties during his working visit to Milan recently was baseless.

Meanwhile, Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said that ties among the Supreme Council members had strengthened and should remain strong despite being under pressure over various issues at the moment.

“We need to be in line to give unequivocal support to the party president and deputy president and not leave the line when besotted with problems,” she said.

Supreme Council member Hasan Malek, who is also Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, said the majority of the council members wanted investigations into 1MDB to be expedited so that the people’s anger could be mitigated with continuous factual clarifications and to combat the opposition’s propaganda.

Another Supreme Council member, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim who is also Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chairman, said explanations on issues involving them had also been well accepted by the majority of the council members.

In fact, there was also constructive advice from fellow council members, he said. “I am appealing to the people not to be duped by the opposition’s play of politics. I do not play politics in TH. “This is because I am chairman (of TH) for all Muslims. I have been working for all members of the Muslim community regardless of their political affiliation,” he said. - BERNAMA