UMNO Wings Highlight Need For Strategic Unity, Youth Engagement

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Wanita UMNO has urged the party to start considering a reasonable political formula in Sabah as preparation for the state election, expected to be held by next year at the latest.

Wanita UMNO chief Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said UMNO needed to be clear about the political model it intended to pursue and who its partners would be in facing the state election.

"For how can we be the government at the federal level but the opposition in the state? This sentiment of unity needs to reach the grassroots," she said during her winding-up speech at the Wanita UMNO General Assembly in conjunction with the 2024 UMNO General Assembly here today.

She said this in response to a resolution from the Sabah delegation, which called on the leadership to pay serious attention to the confusion surrounding the current political model in Sabah.

Meanwhile, UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, in his winding-up speech, reminded that the Malay party needed to adopt a new political approach as it was at its ‘lowest point’ in history.

"We are currently at the 'lowest point,' and we need to take a new political approach to bring a new generation that carries new hope for the party. If today we remain the same, then when UMNO dies later, if our children blame us, we shouldn't point fingers at others," he said.

Muhammad Akmal also denied allegations from some quarters that UMNO Youth under his leadership was not aligned with the party leadership.

"Who says we're not aligned? UMNO Youth today carries the people's voice, and we have never been afraid to bring the people's voice," he said.

UMNO Puteri chief Datuk Nurul Amal Mohd Fauzi, meanwhile, expressed readiness to strengthen the wing through Project Next GenZ (PNG), targeting youths aged 15 to 25.

"Puteri will prepare them through the ‘ROLE’ initiative, which stands for recruitment, orientation, training, and expression. The goal is to provide training opportunities and a platform for our younger siblings to learn in the real political field while also learning to understand the nuances and trends of the current generation from them," she said.

The UMNO General Assembly started yesterday and will continue until this Saturday at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, involving 6,433 delegates from across the country.

-- BERNAMA