KUALA LUMPUR – Politicians’ banter on the English Premier League (EPL) found its way into the mostly serious Umno General Assembly 2020 here today.
Deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan used football club Liverpool, which became the league champions last year after a 30-year drought, as an analogy for Umno’s political comeback in the 15th general election, eliciting laughter from attendees.
The Rantau assemblyman, who is a fan of The Reds, said just like the EPL champions, Umno is not a “reserve player”, and should be at the government’s helm.
Chanting the club’s anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone, Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, quipped that fans of rival teams Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal must be annoyed with his remarks.
His speech at the launch of the Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings’ meetings got the attention of former prime minister and party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who praised the address, but stopped short of agreeing with Mohamad’s choice of team.
“In my opinion, the policy speech by the Umno deputy president was concise and precise, including the part where he called on the party to reject traitors and saboteurs, and other parties not needing to teach Umno about Malay-Muslim unity.
“There is just a small part of his speech that I have to disagree with. Can Tok Mat choose another club to be used as an example instead?
“It’s just that I cannot wait 30 years to see Umno back at the helm, and then end up mid-table only one year after winning,” said the Manchester United supporter in a Facebook post.
Najib was alluding to Liverpool’s poor showing in the current season, where they are languishing in seventh place.
Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki repeated the Liverpool slogan during his speech at his wing’s assembly, to a ripple of laughter and some jeers from the floor.
Within the party’s central leadership, it is known that vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is a Chelsea fan, while secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Maslan backs Arsenal.
Besides Najib, former Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, too, supports the Red Devils. – The Vibes, March 27, 2021
