Addressing claims that the party’s assemblies had often had speeches and debates that were laced with racist sentiments, Zahid said the leaders’ intentions were merely to uphold the rights of Muslims and Malays.

This, however, had been misunderstood by people outside the party, he added.

“So I think that approach has to be changed.

“(These issues) should be handled internally and the assembly should not be the platform  (to voice out these kinds of sentiments) as others outside Umno may misinterpret our intention,” he said in an interview with FMT at the Putra World Trade Center here today.

Over the past few years, speeches made by the party’s leaders at the annual general assembly had focused on calls for the rights of the Malays to be returned.

In 2014, a video of the May 13, 1969 racial riot was played during Prime Minister Najib Razak’s speech.

On a separate matter, Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, said the absence of former Umno senior leaders who were sacked won’t affect the atmosphere of the assembly, which will begin tomorrow.

“This is the fourth time Umno has faced such a situation. But we never felt the loss of the leaders who had abandoned the party.”

He was referring to former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad, sacked Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and former Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal, who had gone on to form their own parties.

“This is a challenge and Umno needs to double its efforts to strengthen its unity,” added Zahid.