Bersatu didn’t respond to invite, Umno says on cross-party meeting

2026-03-06 - 04:13

Umno chaired a meeting yesterday joined by representatives from parties like PAS, Amanah, PKR and Gagasan Rakyat to discuss issues concerning Islam and the Bumiputera. (Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki pic) PETALING JAYA: Bersatu did not respond to Umno’s invitation to a cross-party meeting to discuss issues concerning Islam, the Malay community and the Bumiputera. Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who chaired the meeting yesterday, said an invitation was sent to Bersatu but the party did not even turn it down. “In fact, when the secretariat contacted them, they did not give an answer. “Putra, on the other hand, held a press conference to reject Umno’s invitation, accusing us of having a political agenda,” he said in a Facebook post. Asyraf chaired the meeting yesterday which was joined by representatives from PAS, PKR, Amanah, Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, Berjasa, the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress and Parti Ikatan Bangsa. He said the meeting, held at Umno’s headquarters in Menara Dato Onn, was initiated by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to bring together parties across the political divide to discuss issues involving the Bumiputera and Islam. Asyraf dismissed claims that Umno had a political agenda, saying it was merely providing a platform for discussion to find common ground among the various parties. While acknowledging that political parties would have differing views on other matters, he said they should all share the same stance on the position of the Malays, the Bumiputera and Islam. All eight parties agreed to establish a secretariat that would serve as a platform for further dialogue. In January, Zahid announced plans to form a new grand coalition to unite all Malay parties under one umbrella, but said this had nothing to do with forming a new government.