'Muda left out' - Logo present, rep absent from secretariat meet

Muda is upset at being kept in the dark about the government’s first secretariat meeting held at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur last night.

“Looks like Muda’s logo is there (on the backdrop) but (we) don’t know anything,” rued secretary-general Amir Hariri Abd Hadi.

Venting his frustration on Twitter, he said Muda did not receive an invitation to attend the meeting nor was the party informed about it.

“By the time we knew about it, there was already a decision,” he added.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that all parties in the government gave their commitment to work together in the upcoming elections for six states.

Among those who attended the meeting were DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, who set foot in the inner sanctum of Umno’s office for the first time.

Both DAP and Amanah had been bitter political rivals of Umno, with the enmity between Umno and DAP dating back decades.

The parties buried the hatchet to forge an alliance in the aftermath of the last general election to resolve the political deadlock.

For Anwar, it was his first time returning to the Umno headquarters since his sacking on Sept 3, 1998.

Meanwhile, Amir said Muda should be informed about the decisions made during the meeting.

“Perhaps, at least, you could give (us) a briefing on the results of the meeting?” he added.

After the meeting, Anwar announced the formation of a political and agenda monitoring committee as well as a strategic communications committee.

The monitoring committee would look at the federal administration’s manifesto as well as priorities such as the cost of living, race relations, and ties between Putrajaya and states.

The strategic communications committee would address slanderous accusations against the government.

Muda secretary-general Amir Hariri Abd Hadi

In last November’s national polls, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was the party’s sole candidate to win a seat after successfully defending the Muar parliamentary constituency. - Mkini