DAP not a liability to Umno – Zahid

These differing views represented personal opinions rather than the official stance of the party.

(Sinar Daily) – Differences in opinion among the leaders of the unity government, particularly between DAP and Umno, should not be seen as a liability in attracting Malay support.

Umno President and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that these differing views represented personal opinions rather than the official stance of the party.

“Currently, we embrace these differences in opinions. All political parties celebrate internal differences and if a party presents differing views, these are often from mid-level or lower levels of leadership rather than from top leadership.

“However, once decisions are made at the level of the unity government secretariat, these differences become irrelevant.

“When a party is perceived as a liability (while it is not an actual liability), the key is that as long as the party’s decisions do not favour any particular opinion, the party’s decisions remain the priority,” he said during a special interview in conjunction with 2024 Umno General Assembly at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) recently.

Media reports previously highlighted that Umno and DAP leaders often exchanged barbs over differing opinions on various issues, creating tensions in the country, including controversies like the display of the word ‘Allah’ on socks in a convenience store chain and the cancellation of the comic initiative ‘Jalur dan Jalan Meraih Manfaat Bersama (BRI)’.

Meanwhile, Zahid, who is also the Umno chairman, clarified that the DAP top leadership has never opposed discussions on the position of the Malay Rulers, the special rights of Malays and the Malay language.

“You might not know that in Cabinet meetings, even if issues like the position of the Malay Rulers, the special rights of Malays and the Malay language are discussed, there has never been any objection from the DAP party, which is supposedly very opposed to these matters.

“This is the reality because coincidentally, the leaders of that party (DAP) sit to my right in Cabinet meetings. There has never been any opposition and this is merely perception,” he said.

He added that such perceptions were created by opponents to portray discord among the parties within the unity government.