While the meeting in Shah Alam was going on, the former minister was in Dengkil at a dialogue session with some Umno branch leaders.
He said he had informed former premier Mahathir Mohamad that he would not attend the congress and would instead speak on “current issues” to Umno members who would not be able to participate in the programme.
“I wanted to be with my family in Umno,” he said.
Mahathir, who is spearheading the Save Malaysia movement, was among 19 speakers at the Shah Alam event. The other speakers included DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang, PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who along with Shafie was sacked from the Federal Cabinet last July.
Yesterday’s congress was a follow up to the March 4 signing of the Citizens’ Declaration by scores of political leaders and activists, including Shafie.
According to Shafie, it “only makes sense” for someone to explain the declaration to the Umno grassroots, as he did yesterday.
“Najib’s strength is not with Lim Kit Siang or Azmin Ali,” he said. “It’s with the Umno division leaders.”