UMNO will not give up its seats to other parties, said Mohamad Hasan.

“Umno’s seats are Umno’s, then, now and forever. We will not give up our seats to save others,” said the Umno deputy president when officiating the 2020 Umno Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri annual general meetings at the Putra World Trade Centre this morning.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) information chief Mohamad Azmin Ali had recently asked Umno not to contest the 15 parliamentary seats it lost after its MPs defected to Bersatu, citing Malay-Muslim unity.

Mohamad, however, said Umno wants to lead Malaysia again after the next general election.

The party is planning to use the “working with Barisan Nasional” approach.

“It will be a slogan that opens up various spaces for Umno to explore various forms of strategic cooperation, without having to be bound by various political consensus, and its narrow and detrimental requirements.”

Mat Hasan, who is former Negri Sembilan menteri besar, said Umno will not be fooled by the made-up rhetoric of the interests of the nation and Malay unity.

“The solidarity and unity of the Malays must be led by Umno.

“It is not a vote bait sown by political liars sheltered by ‘power without mandate’ and without real power.”

He acknowledged the country’s democracy is declining, where the space for freedom of speech is getting smaller.

He related to Parliament as an entity that upholds democracy, which is now being crippled and its constitution not upheld.

“MPs gamble on the people’s mandate at will for their personal interests,” he said, describing the current political climate as ‘hard waves, raging and raving’.

“They jump from one pool to another without shame and without embarrassment.

“It seems that our country in this pandemic needs more cross-party bans compared to cross-state bans,” Mat Hasan said.

Umno’s 2020 general assembly is held today and tomorrow at the PWTC after being postponed five times due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The public can watch the speeches and debates on the Umno Facebook page or the Umno Online website. – March 27, 2021.