WITH discussions surrounding the next general election heating up, political parties and coalitions are seen to be racing to hold their respective conventions and gatherings to prepare for the polls.

Tomorrow alone, there are five political meetings scheduled involving various parties and coalitions, namely Umno, PKR, Warisan, Berjasa and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

In Kuala Lumpur, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will hold a special briefing with divisional committee members and leaders at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on the party’s preparedness for the general election, besides touching on current issues involving the party.

On Wednesday, the Umno political bureau meeting at the party headquarters was understood to have discussed several developments, including the Federal Court’s decision to uphold the sentence against former prime minister Najib Razak.

PN, meanwhile, will be holding its first-ever convention to determine its blueprint for the next general election and to discuss people-related issues post-Covid-19, in addition to celebrating its second anniversary.

The convention, scheduled to be held at the Malaysian Agricultural Expo Park Serdang, will be attended by 1,800 delegates from all PN component parties, namely Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, STAR and the Sabah Progressive Party.

PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, in a statement earlier, said the convention would serve to renew the coalition’s determination in its struggle and strengthen the cooperation among the component parties.

PKR, a major component party of Pakatan Harapan, will also be organising its 2022 Election Convention in preparation for the polls at Dewan Raja Muda Musa, Selangor Youth and Sports Complex, in Shah Alam.

The convention’s director, G. Manivanan, in a statement, said it involves leaders from all levels of the party as well as activists, grassroots members and party volunteers.

The convention is scheduled to begin at 2pm and will be divided into two segments – the first involving the voices of the grassroots and the second comprising that of the leadership, which features a special address by party president Anwar Ibrahim and an election strategy briefing by party election director Rafizi Ramli.

Meanwhile, an estimated 2,000 leaders from Berjasa, which recently announced a collaboration with several other parties under the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition, will participate in the Himpunan Nasional 2022 gathering at Dewan Tun Abdul Razak in Menara Bank Rakyat in Kuala Lumpur.

Berjasa president Zamani Ibrahim, in a statement, informed that the gathering will highlight the party’s struggle and what it will offer in terms of empowering the nation.

GTA chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also Pejuang chairman, is scheduled to speak at the event.

In Sabah, Warisan is set to hold its 2021 annual general meeting (AGM) and party polls at the Sabah Kadazandusun Cultural Association hall in Penampang beginning at 9.15am tomorrow.

Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal, who retained his post after winning unopposed, is scheduled to inaugurate the meeting and deliver the party’s policy speech.

Only 20 positions in the party’s supreme council will be contested in this election, as the president, deputy president and three vice-presidents’ posts have been won unopposed. The party’s wings – Wira, Wirawati and Wanita – are holding their respective AGMs and elections today.

A total of 5,000 Warisan delegates and observers from 25 divisions of the party in Sabah, one division in Labuan and several pro-tem committees from the peninsula are scheduled to attend the meeting tomorrow. – Bernama, August 26, 2022.