DAP urges Umno Youth to move on from past hostility for nation’s sake
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has urged the Umno Youth wing to listen to its president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and move past the two parties’ historical animosity for the sake of the nation. This comes after the wing demanded an apology from DAP for past transgressions against Umno.
“That is their opinion. It’s assembly, of course there will be lots of opinions. However, I agree with the Umno president’s speech or the essence of it where he called for its members to move on from the past for the sake of the country,” Loke said.
He added that while political parties have their own sentiments towards rivals, constantly bringing up past issues is unproductive. Loke also highlighted the unity government’s progress, stating that the coalition has been functioning well for the past six months, with no issues of incompatibility between component parties.
Umno Youth chief, Dr Akmal Saleh, demanded an apology from DAP for its alleged past sins and biting remarks against the party. He defended his stance during his closing speech at the Umno Youth general assembly.
In his speech, Dr Akmal demanded DAP apologise to Umno for its past mistakes and prove its sincerity to the coalition government led by PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim, which includes Pakatan Harapan component parties, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and Gabungan Bersatu Sabah.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dismissed the need for DAP to apologise, stating that the matter does not need to be raised again by his party. However, Dr Akmal remained defiant and continued to demand an apology.
Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan was reported by Malaysiakini to have supported Umno Youth’s controversial demand for DAP to apologise to the party for its past attacks on them.
