KLUANG: Umno will not change any part of its struggle for the Malays, Islam and Malaysia just because of one trip to China, says party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He told the opposition Perikatan Nasional that no "new ideology" would be indoctrinated within the party following several leaders' recent visit there.
“Don't worry. Umno will continue to struggle for Islam, nationalism and Malay rights, which are part of our party’s constitution," he told a press conference during an event with the Orang Asli community at Kampung Orang Asli Tanah Runtuh here on Thursday (Sept 26).
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He added that the visit was at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to acknowledge the close ties between the countries.
Ahmad Zahid said this was not unusual, as Umno would also invite political parties from all over the world to attend its general assembly.
On Wednesday (Sept 25), Perikatan lodged a police report against Johor Speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, claiming that his visit to China could bring communist ideology back to Malaysia.
State Perikatan chairman Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said he was concerned that Puad and his delegation’s visit to several political schools in China could have adverse effects on the Johor legislative assembly.
“He led a delegation, which included Umno members, to study China’s politics and also visited the School of CPC.
“We are worried that the communist ideology would then be spread within Umno and to the Johor assembly, where Puad is the Speaker,” he said.
Recently, Puad wrote about his trip on Facebook, adding that one of the lectures he attended at the School of CPC was titled “The Importance of Media Literacy” and dealt with how the party countered fake news.
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On another note, Ahmad Zahid, who is Barisan Nasional chairman, said he was confident that the majority of Mahkota voters staying outside the constituency will come back to cast their votes in the state seat by-election this Saturday (Sept 28).
The Deputy Prime Minister said data showed that there was a large number of registered voters living and working outside Kluang, mostly in Johor Baru and Singapore.
“Barisan machinery, led by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi with assistance from component parties in the unity government, has been reaching out to voters in Mahkota, including those living outside Kluang, to come back and vote.
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“Our machinery has been working hard even before nomination day for the by-election by using social media and our call centre to reach out to more than 66,000 voters,” he said.
He applauded the step by Onn Hafiz to ensure that all counters at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) would be open to make it easier for voters across the Causeway to return home.
“Maybe not 100% of the (outstation) voters will come back but the majority are aware of their responsibility to vote in this by-election,” he said.
