Ku Nan clears the air on Umno attendance at CPC congress

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has denied the party is sending a representative to speak at the ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (NCCPC).

Instead, he said it was merely an interview footage of him recorded and aired on China's official television station.

"I never said it. If you read Umno Online properly, I had already spoken because the China Government or CPC through their CGTN and CCTV had approached me," he said.

"I have given my speech. They chose six countries and six parties throughout the world. Umno is one of them," he said.

He sought to clarify a report by the party's official website early this month, which quoted Tengku Adnan as claiming that Malaysia was invited to speak at the congress.

According to him, the interview footage has been aired.

"I believe they already aired it because some of my friends all over the world had sent me some of the footage," he said.

On Oct 2, Umno Online quoted Tengku Adnan as saying his party was invited due to the close relationship between Umno and the CPC.

Following the report, political scientist and expert on China's political development Phoon Wing Keong expressed doubts that an Umno representative would be addressing the NCCPC.

The federal territories minister said that if Umno was indeed to the event, then it was likely they were invited as observers rather than speakers. 

On another note, Tengku Adnan said Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad should apologise for his Bugis slur. 

"I think he should apologise. It is very unbecoming to call people a pirate," he said. 

In a multiracial country that comprises sub-ethnic groups, one should not go overboard by slamming others' ethnicity, he said. 

Mahathir had labelled Najib as “a thief, bandit, a robber” during the Oct 14 anti-kleptocracy rally. 

Meanwhile, Tengku Adnan defended his ministry for holding an Umno-themed competition at a primary school in Putrajaya on Oct 3.

"I have been doing this for the last ten years. I try to inculcate some sense of belonging among the students and connect them to the history of Malaysia. The historical part tells us that Umno, MCA and MIC were the ones that brought independence to this nation.- Mkini