THE 2022 Umno general assembly slated to be held next week will see an increase in the number of observers that will include information chiefs from all divisions and party branches.

Party secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said information chiefs from all three wings – Wanita, Youth and Puteri – had wanted to automatically be allowed to attend the assembly so that they could explain to the members at the division and branch levels about the president’s policy speech and also the debates by the delegates.

“That is among the reasons for information chiefs of Wanita Umno, Umno Youth and Puteri Umno to be automatically included as observers at the next party assemblies,” he told a press conference on the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur today.

Ahmad added the party’s general assembly on Friday (January 13) and Saturday (January 14) will be attended by 2,648 delegates and 174 observers comprising division information chiefs, bringing the total to 2,822.

He said the assembly of Wanita Umno will involve 950 delegates with 167 information chiefs, while the Umno Youth assembly will have 967 delegates with 179 information chiefs and the Puteri Umno assembly will see the attendance of 958 delegates with 155 information chiefs.

Prior to this, Ahmad was reported as saying that a special general assembly will be held after the president’s policy speech on January 13 to amend two clauses of the party constitution, namely clause 20.11, which states that the membership of any Umno member will be automatically revoked if they leave the party or contest as an independent candidate or a candidate for another party during an election.

He said the change was to ensure that the party constitution was in line with amendments to the Federal Constitution on anti-party hopping.

The other amendment was to clause 8.4 to allow all information chiefs to be automatically selected as delegates to the annual Umno general assembly.

The general assembly, which was initially schedule to be held from December 21 to 24 last year, was postponed to January 11 to 14 this year. – Bernama, January 3, 2023.