Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has assured non-Muslim communities that the party’s proposed unity agenda with PAS is not a threat, but is instead rooted in justice and aimed at benefiting all Malaysians.
He said Umno Youth was prepared to serve as the party’s frontline in defending and ensuring that the agenda for ummah unity did not remain merely a political talking point.
According to Akmal, the initiative must be translated into policies and actions that benefit people from all walks of life regardless of race or religion.
“When we talk about ummah unity, I want to remind our Chinese and Indian friends that this is not a threat to anyone,” he said.
“Defending the Malays does not mean wanting to be enemies with non-Malays, while upholding Islam does not mean denying the rights of followers of other religions. Islam teaches that strong leadership must be fair to all people,” he said.
Akmal was speaking during his policy speech at the Umno Youth general assembly at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.
Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and vice-president Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin were among those present.
Also attending were Umno Youth deputy chief Mohd Hairi Mad Shah, Umno Youth secretary Mohd Hafiz Ariffin, MCA Youth chief Ling Tian Soon, MIC Youth chief Arvind Krishnan and PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden.
Akmal said Barisan Nasional (BN) had a track record of maintaining political unity without forcing component parties to abandon their respective identities.
“Do not worry, our Chinese and Indian friends. BN already has proof.
“Today, MCA has never lost its Chinese identity, MIC has never lost its Indian identity and PBRS has also never lost its Bumiputera identity,” he said.
He stressed that championing Malay interests and upholding Islam should not be interpreted as an attempt to marginalise other races or religions.
Instead, he said, strong leadership must be reflected through fairness towards all Malaysians, in line with the principles upheld by Islam.
