SHAH ALAM: Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh says Umno will not forget the historical attempt to ban the party by an individual who now invites Umno members to join a new movement, Sinar Harian reports.
The Malay language daily reported that the Umno Youth chief was referring to the invitation from former prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who urged Umno members to join the Malay Secretariat, a new political coalition purportedly established to champion the restoration of Malay political power.
"Thank you, Tun (Dr M), we appreciate the invitation. But we still remember what happened. The same person also wanted to ban Umno when they were in power," he said Thursday (June 5).
Dr Muhamad Akmal also told Sinar Harian that if the agenda of uniting the Malays is indeed a priority, it should be born out of sincerity for the sake of religion and race, not motivated by position or status.
"If there is a genuine desire to unite the race, let it come from a sincere heart out of love for religion and race, not merely to secure positions for oneself," he said.
Dr Mahathir had previously said that he was not inviting Umno as a party but welcomed any Umno members willing to join the Malay Secretariat.
According to Dr Mahathir, the Secretariat aims to restore the political dominance of Malays in the government, which he described as increasingly weak.
