KUANTAN, Jan 8 — No political parties other than Barisan Nasional (BN) components and Friends of BN have been invited to attend the 2022 UMNO General Assembly, which begins on Wednesday (Jan 11).
UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said that, unlike previously, no foreign delegates would be invited to attend the assembly this time either.
According to him, the decision was made because UMNO wanted to resolve all matters related to internal issues of the party and BN.
“So far, that is the decision unless there are changes in the next day or two. Not inviting does not mean we are not friends, but it’s because we want to focus on the party’s internal issues, self-reflection and so on,” he said.
Ahmad said this at a media conference after attending a closed-door programme to explain the current situation in the country that was attended by 1,309 Pahang UMNO leaders, spearheaded by its chairman Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
However, Ahmad did not rule out the possibility of changes to the invitation list, depending on the decision of the party’s highest leadership.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that he had not received an invitation to attend the 2022 UMNO General Assembly, which will be held at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur from Jan 11-14.
On prospective cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the upcoming state elections this year, Ahmad said interparty cooperation had yet to be decided, even with the cooperation that exists to form the Unity Government at the federal level.
“Each party will hold their respective meetings. We will wait to see how Unity Government parties will cooperate. There has yet to be any special meeting about this,” he said today.
He also gave his views on the supposed ‘London Move’, stating that it was just speculation and that he had no record of any party holding meetings there.
“Many do holiday in London, it doesn’t mean there’s any ‘move’. If they want to meet, they can meet anywhere. I think it’s just a coincidence,” he said.
Media outlets have previously reported that a secret meeting was held in London to allegedly realign the country’s current political situation.
