KUALA LUMPUR: The Umno secretary-general is leaving it to the party president and Supreme Council members to decide whether deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will deliver the winding-up speech at the Umno general assembly this time around.
Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, however, said it was not stated in the party constitution that the deputy president must make the winding-up speech as was usually done previously.
“One person (party president) only is enough … but it depends on the president and the MT (Supreme Council) … I am merely the secretary-general,” he told reporters after opening the National Convention on the Social Wellbeing of the Urban Community: ‘Towards Strengthening the People Oriented Agenda’, here yesterday.
Traditionally, before the winding-up process for the assembly by the party president is held, the heads of the Umno wings, the vice-presidents and deputy president would be allowed to speak at the winding-up session.
Commenting further, Tengku Adnan said the winding-up speech also frequently became the platform to demonstrate power and gave a negative impact to the party. He added that it was not wrong if the tradition in Umno, which was not found in the constitution, was amended just like the changes in the delegates meeting of the Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings which would be opened by their respective heads at the assembly this time.
“Just like the wings, they want the policy speech of their respective heads to be made the opening speech of the meetings, so there is no longer any need for the deputy president to officiate as before,” he said. — Bernama