KUALA LUMPUR: Isham Jalil has restated his call for Umno to hold a referendum on its cooperation with DAP ahead of the Umno supreme council meeting on Wednesday night, stating that he is not afraid of facing consequences for speaking out. Isham, a supreme council member, emphasized the importance for Umno to fight for the rights of Malays and not be perceived as weak on this matter. He expressed concern that if Umno does not take a strong stance, it may gradually lose support in Malaysia.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday, Isham stated that a referendum is necessary due to a disconnect between grassroots members and the party leadership on the issue of cooperation with DAP. He argued that the decision on such a fundamental aspect of the party’s struggle should involve discussions and agreement from all grassroots members, rather than being decided by a small number of supreme council members.
Isham also warned that if Umno pushes its grassroots members to accept cooperation with DAP and the “Malaysian Malaysia” agenda, it may face the risk of losing the next election. He asserted that any victories won by Umno would not be in areas with predominantly Malay voters, but rather in Pakatan Harapan areas, due to support from DAP. He argued that if Umno becomes dependent on DAP, it would no longer be able to fight for Malay rights and would ultimately lose its significance as a party.
Isham further claimed that many grassroots members feel pressured by the party’s top leadership, including Ahmad Zahid, to support Pakatan and cooperate with DAP. However, Ahmad Zahid dismissed the need for a referendum, stating that it is solely Isham’s personal view.
The Umno supreme council meeting is scheduled to take place at the World Trade Centre on Wednesday night.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
