UMNO members shouldn’t damage the party by believing opposition propaganda

KUALA NERANG: UMNO members are reminded not to damage their own party by accepting and blindly believing the opposition’s propaganda, which aims to tarnish UMNO’s leadership at all levels—national, state, division, and branch.

UMNO State Liaison Committee Chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said that any information received, especially from social media, should be verified first to avoid being deceived by the opposition’s tactics.

He stated that every UMNO member needs to control their anger and emotions to properly assess any information they receive, so they do not make mistakes that could weaken the party.

“Sometimes a party appears weakened not due to the strength of the opponents but because of its own members’ actions. When opposition propaganda comes, it’s easy to believe it blindly without making an effort to verify the truth of the news.

“In the end, we might not realize that we are being manipulated by those who want to destroy this party. Such stories spread easily on social media and even in eateries, so we, as rational individuals, need to assess and verify their authenticity before fully accepting them,” he said.

He made these comments during a press conference after officiating the UMNO Padang Terap Division Delegates’ Meeting 2024 here today.

Meanwhile, Mahdzir commented on UMNO Alor Setar Division’s proposal to create the position of Deputy Coordinator for State Development and to nominate a name to assist the Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, who serves as the chairman. This may be intended to ensure better collaboration between the federal and state governments.

“They see a need for better coordination because when federal development projects come to Kedah, they are centralized at the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU). Then, when the project is to be implemented, it is received by the Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK).

“When this happens, it seems that there is no one to handle the project’s implementation to ensure everything runs smoothly. There is only the minister, and that may be why UMNO Alor Setar Division is considering this proposal,” he said.

Commenting on the same UMNO Division’s proposal for UMNO to regain the Alor Setar parliamentary seat and one of the state assembly seats there, Mahdzir said the party has the right to make such requests.

“We have the right to request, and there is nothing wrong with UMNO Alor Setar doing so. There is no harm in reassessing which party should contest in the parliamentary and state assembly seats, or any other areas, for the greater good.

“All of this is to strengthen Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming General Election (PRU), and such matters should not be seen as causing division,” he said.