Umno – PAS political cooperation signing with mammoth crowd
KUALA LUMPUR: Himpunan Penyatuan Ummah that would see Umno and PAS seal its political cooperation would see a mammoth gathering of about 10,000 people converging at the Putra World Trade Centre on Friday and Saturday.
All leaders and representatives of Umno and PAS divisions from around the country will converge at the Putra World Trade Centre on Friday for a two-day meeting called “Himpunan Penyatuan Ummah” (Ummah Unity Gathering).
Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his
party and PAS would sign a charter and a memorandum of understanding to forge a
long-term cooperation between the two parties, which were once nemeses.
“This is a political cooperation and not a political coalition.
“It will be an inclusive kind of meet where all parties, races and religions will also be invited to be part of the cooperation,” he told The Star.
A poster for the gathering with the #HPU914 from the organisers on social media urged everyone to wear white, adding that it was open to “all citizens, political parties and NGOs”.
Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the coming together of Umno and PAS in an organised mammoth rally was the first step in fostering unity among the Malay Muslims.
“No political pact yet. We want to promote political awareness and unity (among the Malays) first. And then, we want to promote true and good values among the Muslims and the non-Muslims.
“We will also have positive engagement with all members of Barisan Nasional, Gagasan Sejahtera, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gagasan Bersatu Sabah,” said Annuar, who is also Ketereh MP.
He said they were expecting a crowd of “at least 10,000”.
“We are expecting more and we are prepared for all eventualities. We have 1,000 of our own uniformed volunteers – from Umno and PAS volunteer squads – to control the crowd.
“We are also talking to the police and City Hall,” said Annuar.
He said despite the gathering seemingly centred around Umno and PAS, representatives from other communities would also be invited.
“We will also invite Pakatan Harapan representatives to be part of our gathering. We want everyone to know that this is not only about Umno and PAS,” said Annuar.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the gathering was to formalise the political cooperation between Umno and PAS and put this down in writing.
“The Himpunan Penyatuan Ummah is a show of strength. The signing of the deal may not be legally binding but it is a show of commitment by party leaders, supported by the grassroots,” said Takiyuddin.
According to those privy to details of the gathering, there was a worry that PWTC would not be big enough to handle the crowd of party supporters and those sympathetic to their cause.
“We have told everyone that only those with passes can enter PWTC but we are expecting the crowd to spill onto the streets. We are working with the authorities to ensure that everything will be peaceful.
“The ‘ceramah perdana’ on Friday night is expected to draw quite a big crowd as we intend to rile up Pakatan with our numbers.
“We are expecting to see all levels of PWTC filled up. We are also expecting many to stay overnight after the lecture.
“Those from Umno will likely put up in hotels around PWTC and PAS members at various designated places in the city. There will be many from NGOs as well,” said the source.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong confirmed that he would not be attending the event since MCA is not part of the gathering.
MIC president Tan Sri S Vigneswaran said that he would attend to witness the signing.
Umno, MCA and MIC are BN coalition partners.
