Speaking at a press conference on the assembly today, Asyraf said delegates are free to raise the topics, even though none of the 662 motions submitted to party headquarters so far specifically mentions them.
Asyraf said 104 of the motions received relate to a pardon for former prime minister Najib Razak, who is serving his reduced six-year jail term for corruption in the SRC International case at Kajang prison.
“Officially, none of the motions submitted calls for leaving the unity government, and there are no formal motions on cooperation with other parties, including PAS.
“But, as usual, we do not prevent state and wing spokespersons from raising issues,” he said, adding that the topics could still be brought up during the assembly, which will be held from Jan 14 to 17.
This comes amid renewed calls, largely led by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, for the party to quit the unity government and join forces with PAS in the opposition.
The push to cooperate with PAS follows a proposal by PAS election director Sanusi Nor to revive Muafakat Nasional ahead of the next general election, echoing previous calls from other PAS leaders.
The debate was also sparked by Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin’s refusal to apologise for a social media post celebrating the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s rejection of Najib’s bid for house arrest, which drew criticism from senior Umno leaders, including Asyraf.
Despite these calls, party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has reiterated that Umno will remain in the Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government until the end of its term.
Separately, Asyraf said that no parties in the unity government have been invited to the general assembly, except for Barisan Nasional component parties.
“They were not invited because we want to focus on internal party matters so that delegates can speak openly,” he said.
He said representatives from MCA and MIC have confirmed their attendance.
At the 2023 assembly, Umno invited non-BN component parties that are its allies in the unity government.
The assembly was attended by Anwar, the PKR president and PH chairman, who had served as Umno deputy president before being expelled in 1998.
Asyraf also said he has not received any official resignation letter from Akmal as Umno Youth chief, despite media reports suggesting otherwise.
This comes after Malaysiakini reported that Akmal informed a group of Umno Youth leaders through Whatsapp of his intention to resign.
Asyraf advised Akmal not to be discouraged if his proposals were not accepted by the party leadership.
“I was once youth chief myself, and the Supreme Council did not always accept my views, but that did not mean we should resign or lose heart,” he said.