Statement by Secretary-General on MT meeting

THE Supreme Council meeting  today, April 25th, has decided:
1.  Asserting importance for the government to convene the Parliament and State Assemblies sessions in line with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree that it can resume under the Emergency period. Among rational to be considered are:
  (i) The government must not be seen as denying the rights of Parliamentary Democracy,
  (ii) The Parliament and State Assemblies are the check-and-balance platforms for the representatives to hinder the government from having a free hand running the nation against the interest of the people who are currently facing many economic predicaments such as unemployment, high cost of living and spiralling prices of necessities,
  (iii) There must be accountability in managing the nation’s finance which includes allocation for the people, the abrupt increase of national debt that surpasses 60 per cent of GDP (contravenes the National Debt Act approved by the Parliament), utilising the National Trust Fund or KWAN for the first time in history as it forms the last resort of financial resort should the country has exhausted its natural resources,
  (iv) Foreign investors’ confidence will get thinner should our Parliamentary Democracy is suspended for a long time since there will be no more check-and-balance for a good governance,
  (v) A special SOP must be introduced for resuming the Parliamentary and DUN session as being practiced by many countries.
2.  Since many police reports were lodged, the meeting made its assertion through all UMNO Cabinet members to advise the government appoints a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the book ‘My Story: Justice in the Wilderness’ written by former Attorney-General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas.
  3. Today’s meeting also decided to send a letter to director-generals of the Registrar of Societies (RoS) and National Security Council (NSC) asking guidelines should UMNO proceeds with the party election this year in line with the Covid-19 SOP and as stipulated in the party’s Constitution.
  4. This is to ensure party election for 66,287 branch meetings involving Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri at 191 division nationwide and involving almost 3.3 million members are in compliance with the Covid-19 SOP amid rising new cases.
DATUK SERI AHMAD BIN MASLAN
UMNO SECRETARY-GENERAL
April 25, 2021