Umno to stay the course with govt, respects differing view

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi affirmed the party's commitment to staying with the current government, despite differing views within the unity administration. Addressing the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Zahid, who also serves as deputy prime minister, emphasized that the party values diverse perspectives as it does those of others.

"Any differing views should be respected, just as we respect the different views of others," Zahid stated, reaffirming the party's pledge to remain in the government until its term concludes.

Zahid, speaking after the assembly, highlighted the professionalism of Umno members within the Cabinet, despite the divergence in opinions. He noted that an Umno veteran had recently urged the party to push for an early general election, arguing that staying with the government until its term ends could be detrimental to Umno. Zahid's remarks today follow his previous criticisms of Pakatan Harapan and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the assembly, which included suggesting that Umno could outperform the PKR president.

Earlier in the day, Zahid had challenged Umno's critics to remove Umno and Barisan Nasional from the unity coalition government and had called for a no-confidence motion against Anwar. He clarified that the views expressed by delegates from various segments of Umno and different states do not represent the party's official position.

Instead, such views should be understood as individual opinions. Zahid reiterated that the party's official stance would be articulated through official statements from the party secretary-general or Zahid himself.