Ahmad Zahid To Make Important Announcement This Saturday

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is expected to announce the establishment of an organisation outside the political arena on the final day of the UMNO General Assembly this Saturday.

The UMNO president said the establishment of the organisation was proposed by him.

“The Cabinet has also approved it, and I will announce it on the final day of PAU (UMNO General Assembly),” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of Multaqa Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia here today.

Panellists at the scholarly discussion session held in conjunction with the assembly were Federal Territories Mufti Datuk Dr Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil, Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Faculty of Syariah and Law dean Assoc Prof Dr Abdul Manan Ismail.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said he did not rule out the possibility of inviting ulama and representatives of other political parties, including PAS, to the Multaqa Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia in the future.

“This is the first time it has been organised since I took over in 2018, and the strategic cooperation with Yayasan Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia is an effort to set aside political ideology.

“When it comes to religious matters, we must strive for unity of thought, and this is the approach we are taking. We intend to be open in doing so,” he said.

In his speech, Ahmad Zahid said the relationship between umara (rulers) and ulama (Islamic scholars) must be balanced to ensure the country’s administration is carried out based on trust, knowledge, wisdom and prudence.

He said meetings and discussions between umara and ulama are important to bridge the realities of current administration with religious demands, so that decisions are not based on emotions or narrow political interests.

He also said he regarded a statement by former PAS spiritual leader, the late Tan Sri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat — that PAS would dissolve if UMNO placed Islam as the foundation of its constitution — as the last will and testament.

“When the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz made that statement, I regarded it as a ‘wasiat’. The first thing I did after taking over UMNO’s leadership was to place Islam in UMNO’s constitution.

“But PAS has not dissolved yet; I consider that PAS will dissolve on its own,” he said.

-- BERNAMA