KUALA LUMPUR – As the dust settles on the Umno general assembly, evidence of further cracks are beginning to emerge, with a party youth leader alleging attempts to protect the top leadership by silencing dissenters.
Muhammad Iman Irfan Yahya, the chairman of the United Kingdom Umno Club, revealed today that he was dropped by the party from being one of the speakers at yesterday’s assembly at the eleventh hour.
This is purportedly over critical comments he made previously of party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He was initially scheduled to be the 17th delegate out of 19 to take the stage in Dewan Merdeka at World Trade Centre, representing the party’s overseas club.
Iman told The Vibes that he was only notified by the Umno Youth office of his removal from the speakers’ list on January 12.
This is despite him having already attended an earlier briefing session by Zahid, involving the 19 delegates who would be debating the president’s policy speech.
“The reason given to me was that it was because of my previous posts on social media criticising the president. That has been made clear to me,” he said today.
Iman was replaced by London Umno Overseas Club chairman Muhammad Aliff Najmi Azizi.
The Vibes has reached out to Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan for comment but has yet to receive a response.
Iman is understood to be part of the Umno camp pushing for greater democracy within the party by allowing an election for all leadership positions.
Yesterday’s general assembly, however, saw the passing of a motion not to contest the president and deputy presidents’ posts via a near-unanimous vote.
The party is due to hold its election by May 19 this year.
The passing of the motion effectively secures Zahid’s position in Umno for the foreseeable future, fending off any threat against him amid intense factionalism.
He has been especially under fire by certain segments within the party for his decision to cooperate with Pakatan Harapan to form the unity government, going against an earlier resolution made by Umno not to cooperate with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP.
Meanwhile, in a Twitter thread, Iman claimed the just-concluded Umno general assembly has been organised in a way that the positions of the party president and deputy president will be safe.
He said these recent developments in Umno, including his removal as a speaker, shows that the party’s struggle is no longer genuine, and warned that this could threaten to push youth further away.
“They will see that their ideas and voices are being suppressed because there are still warlords who are more interested in protecting themselves at a time when the party is critically ill.
“By right, at a time when we only have 26 parliament seats, those at the top should not make Umno seem like a coward. Enough riding on fate, when we ourselves are not pushing for a change.”
Iman said he hopes the new Umno generation will continue to fight for what is best for the party and not be afraid to voice their opinion if they truly want to see the outfit rejuvenated.
“It’s time to make changes for Umno today, so that at least we can guarantee there is Umno for tomorrow,” he said. – The Vibes, January 15, 2023
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