Umno AGM: Asyraf warns saboteurs in the party

 

Umno Youth reminded the party's top leaders not to be saboteurs when Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob led the government with "one hand still tied".

Party Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said that although the coalition government is led by the Umno vice-president, the party still had to rely on the cooperation of the opposition and other parties to stay in power.

If any parties defected, he said, the existing government would collapse.

"Thus, the prime minister and ministers in the field (must) hold the mandate and trust of the party to manage the affairs of the people, administer the affairs of the country and the government, while the party leadership strengthens the base, develops cadres and draws guidelines for those on the field.

"If everyone understands their respective positions and responsibilities, the party will grow stronger," Asyraf Wajdi said while delivering his policy speech today at the 2021 Umno general assembly.

He said this is especially important as, for the first time, the head of government and the head of the party were two different people.

"But this is the role and function of our party. Remember, as great as any general is on the battlefield. Eventually, he has to go back to referring to the base.

"No matter how good the army is in the field, the general will eventually have to return to his base. No matter how far the sea the ship crosses, he will still have to go back to the port," he said.

As such, the Umno Youth chief said Umno leaders should not dance to the enemy's tune.

Name-calling between factions

Umno is currently divided into two main camps. One camp led by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is pushing for snap elections so that the party can break free of being tied with their rivals Bersatu and PAS.

However, the other camp, ostensibly led by Ismail, makes up most of Umno's ministers and are seen to be more open to cooperation with Bersatu and PAS.

This schism has led to various name-calling between factions, with the "cluster" label being a popular descriptor.

Asyraf said leaders being given labels such as the minister cluster, PWTC cluster, Royale Chulan cluster, Putrajaya cluster, winning or losing cluster were not an issue.

But he said Umno members must not be instigators, supposedly on the pretext of wanting to take care of their "boss".

"...(The instigators) are in fact traitors with evil deeds, damaging the boss to the point of burning bridges and destroying institutions," he said. - Mkini