The event has been postponed by a day in view of the Meeting of the Conference of Rulers scheduled for May 11 and a banquet the same night, he added.

The decision on the change of dates had been conveyed to all state Umno and Umno divisions, he told a press conference here today.

Tengku Adnan said the celebration at the Putra World Trade Centre would be held on a moderate scale with ‘yassin’ and ‘tahlil’ prayers for past leaders and the Umno struggle, as well as party members who died in a helicopter crash in Sarawak last Thursday.

Umno President Najib Razak had also decided to cancel all anniversary programmes and activities as a mark of respect over the helicopter mishap that claimed six lives, he said.

The cancelled programmes are an Umno Day Carnival scheduled for May 14 at Dataran Merdeka as well as Umno sports meets and Flag Run that were already underway nationwide, he said.

Umno leaders Noriah Kasnon (Sungai Besar MP, Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister) and Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad (Kuala Kangsar MP, Chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board) were killed in the accident.

Also killed in the tragic helicopter accident during a flight from Betong to Kuching were Noriah’s husband Asmuni Abdullah, Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry secretary-general Dr Sundaran Annamalai, Noriah’s bodyguard Ahmad Sobri Harun and Filipino pilot Capt Rudolf Rex Ragas.

– BERNAMA