KUALA LUMPUR – Former Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has dismissed ex-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “late” initiatives to organise events geared towards uniting the Malay community.
Tajuddin claimed he had first instigated movements similar to Dr Mahathir’s Malay Proclamation event in Pasir Salak, his former parliamentary constituency, in 2018, during which PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Abdul Awang had been supportive of the move.
“He is late. I did it first before him,” Tajuddin, who is serving his six-year suspension in Umno, told reporters during a press conference at the party’s general assembly today.
He also lamented that Umno and PAS leaders had failed to follow through on the opportunities presented by his attempts at uniting Malays, asserting that the now-defunct pact between the two parties, Muafakat Nasional, should have protected such initiatives.
“If you search on YouTube, you can find videos of the Malay gatherings, the first of which was the first time (Hadi) had sat on stage with Umno leaders.
“We held a few more gatherings after that, but Umno and PAS leaders failed to take care (of the initiative). That’s my thoughts on the matter. It’s sad to see how Malays have been divided,” Tajuddin said.
Tajuddin was suspended as a party member last year due to his criticisms of Zahid. This came after he was sacked as a Supreme Council member earlier in the year due to his attacks against the party.
https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/72988/umno-suspends-tajuddin-alor-star-division-chief-as-members
Meanwhile, Tajuddin also took aim at former Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, lambasting the latter for negligence in his duties as an adviser to party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“Leading up to the 15th general election (GE15), (Ahmad) did not consider grassroots views, many of which did not agree with the election candidates put forth by the party.
“They (grassroots members) already notified the party that they wanted candidates from the area instead of ‘imported’ faces, but (Ahmad) refused to listen,” he said.
Tajuddin suggested that the dismissal of grassroots voices had led to Umno supporters “revolting” by turning their backs on the party and voting for non-Umno candidates, saying: “So who is on the losing end here?”
GE15 saw Umno record its worst-ever electoral performance as the Barisan Nasional linchpin only secured 26 parliamentary seats.
‘DAP must prove sincerity in helping Malays’
Besides that, Tajuddin said that if Pakatan Harapan component member DAP wishes to show that it is truly willing to fight for the Malays, it should denounce its Malaysian Malaysia principle promoting equality among all races in the nation.
“Can DAP stop fighting for a Malaysian Malaysia? If they do this and defend the special rights held by Malays, only then will they show that they have Malay interests in mind,” he said.
He said this when lauding Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s calls for DAP to issue a public apology to Umno over condemnations previously issued against Umno when the two parties were political rivals.
“I would like to congratulate (Akmal). He is a true Umno Youth leader unlike his predecessor (Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki). For too long now, DAP has insulted and stepped on Umno.
“I am well aware of what DAP has done (to Umno), I have been in politics for 50 years,” he said.
Earlier today, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke had called on Umno Youth to move on from the past, suggesting that it would be best for the parties to set aside their differences since both are now part of the unity government.
This came after Zahid dismissed Akmal’s assertions, saying that there was no need to push DAP for further apologies as the matter had already been settled during talks to form the unity government. – The Vibes, June 9, 2023
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