KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Umno will continue to support the Unity Government that was formed after the 15th General Election (GE15) until the next general election, in line with the decree of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.

Umno Secretary-General Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said this stance was decided during the Umno Supreme Council (MKT) meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Umno President, at Menara Dato’ Onn here yesterday.

At the same time, he stated that the agreement to form the Unity Government at the Federal level does not bind any state government.

According to him, the Johor State Government was formed before the creation of the Federal-level Unity Government and did not involve parties from Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Asyraf Wajdi added that the decision by Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) to defend the state mandate is not a form of betrayal against the Federal Government, as claimed by certain parties.

“On the contrary, it is a legitimate, mature, and constitutional democratic practice that fully returns the mandate to the people,” he said.

He also mentioned that Umno remains open to any form of cooperation with any party for the sake of the country’s political stability and the well-being of the people; however, any cooperation must be built upon the principles of sincerity and trust. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Umno has recorded 21,858 new and returning members within less than two months since online registration was opened on April 20, party secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said today.

He said the figure covers new members as well as former leaders and members who have rejoined the party nationwide, including some from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

“Since online registration was officially opened on April 20, 2026 until the Umno supreme council meeting on June 10, 2026, in less than two months, the number of new registrations and returning former leaders and members of Umno, including leaders from Bersatu across Malaysia, totalled 21,858,” he said in a Facebook post.

Asyraf expressed gratitude for the renewed support, describing Umno as a “Rumah Bangsa” (“home of the nation”) with a long history in shaping religion, race and country.

He added that he prayed for blessings and continued prosperity for the party as it marked eight decades of political struggle.

 

JOHOR BAHRU, June 4 —  Endau assemblyman Alwiyah Talib today announced that she has left Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and rejoined Umno.

Alwiyah, who is also the Mersing Bersatu division chief, said the decision was made after considering various factors for the benefit and future of the constituency she represents.

“I have decided to announce my resignation from Bersatu and relinquish all my positions in the party with immediate effect, and to return to Umno.

“I wish to stress that this decision was made independently and was not influenced by any party,” she told a press conference here today.

She said the move would not affect her commitment to continue serving the people and safeguarding the welfare of residents in Endau, adding that it would enable her to contribute towards a better future and strengthen community unity in the constituency.

Alwiyah also expressed her appreciation to voters in Endau for their support and cooperation throughout her tenure as assemblyman.

In the 2022 Johor state election, Alwiyah, representing Perikatan Nasional (PN), retained the Endau state seat with a majority of 3,041 votes in a five-cornered contest.

She had previously won the seat in the 14th General Election under the Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket before joining Bersatu.

The Johor State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on Monday (June 1), paving the way for the state election. — Bernama

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said new Malay-based political parties were welcome, provided they helped unite rather than further divide the community.

Speaking after the Majlis Zikir Peringatan Haul Asmaulhusna 2026 at Masjid Sultan Iskandar in Bandar Dato’ Onn, Johor Bahru, today, the Barisan Nasional chairman said any individual or political figure was free to establish a new party as long as it helped unite Malays rather than deepen existing divisions.

“We welcome any individual or figure, on the condition that we unite our thinking and do not continue to be divided among ourselves.

“Whatever platform is used, if in the end we are able to unite our actions around the national agenda, the Islamic agenda and the agenda of our community, insya-Allah.

“We will be able to lend our support because we have also come together through dialogues and discussions under the national collaboration initiative that we have undertaken,” he said, as reported by Berita Harian.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, said differences in opinion should be channelled into advancing national interests, Islamic causes and the welfare of future generations, without sidelining other races and religions in the country.

He added that Umno’s Rumah Bangsa initiative had succeeded in promoting national unity.

His remarks came a day after Reset chairman Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced that the movement would operate under a new party known as Parti Wawasan Negara as part of efforts to strengthen political cooperation across different blocs in the country.

Hamzah reportedly said the party had been established as a platform for unity and would work with PAS and other like-minded parties to build a more comprehensive political understanding.

JOHOR BAHRU, June 17 — Johor legislative assembly speaker Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi has confirmed that he would not defend his incumbent Rengit seat in the upcoming state election.

He said his decision was made a year ago and was mainly driven by his age.

“I am now 69-year-old. In five years, I will be 74-year-old.

“For me, it is not appropriate at that age to want to contest a state seat again.

“In fact, I conveyed my intention to Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the party’s Johor state chief Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi about two weeks ago,” he said in a posting on his official Facebook page today.

The incumbent Rengit assemblyman said his confirmation came after there were rumours on social media saying that he would vacate his central Johor constituency.

Puad, who is also an Umno supreme council member, said Onn Hafiz, as the Johor Menteri Besar, should be given the opportunity to lead the younger generation and the state government.

He said the opportunity to contest in the state election should be given to those aged 50 and below.

On his eventual departure as a state representative, Puad said the proposal for a replacement candidate for the Rengit seat has been submitted to Umno’s leadership for consideration.

The former deputy minister pointed out that the replacement candidate must be qualified, morally inclined, committed and understand the direction of the nation and the aspirations of the people.

“I express confidence that the Johor Umno leadership will make appropriate considerations in determining the best candidate to continue serving the people in the Rengit area,” he said.

Meanwhile, Puad said he still has several matters and tasks that need to be completed before nomination day.

He also expressed his appreciation to the residents of Rengit, civil servants, village heads and the Chinese community for their cooperation.

“I express my gratitude to the Yang Dipertuan Agong Tuanku Sultan Ibrahim for approving my appointment as the Johor legislative assembly speaker and Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail for his advice and guidance,” he said.

Puad was previously the Batu Pahat MP and was Deputy Minister of Education II from 2009 to 2013 during the Datuk Seri Najib Razak administration.

In the 2013 general election, he was defeated by the then Pakatan Rakyat (PR) candidate from PKR Mohd Idris Jusi.

Prior to that, Puad was the political secretary to the previous Johor menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman.

KANGAR, June 5 — Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Hamzah today said the state government will adopt a wait-and-see approach following a meeting between PAS and Umno leaders in Kuala Lumpur, stressing that any political development must place Malay unity at the forefront.

He said Malay-based political parties should work together and remain united in defending the rights and interests of the community, Utusan Malaysia reported this afternoon.

“As far as I am concerned, we will wait and see how the situation develops. What is important is the unity of the Malays. Even within our own parties, we should maintain good relations. Whatever problems arise, we should discuss them properly and not quarrel.

“The people are the ultimate judges who will determine the direction of the country’s leadership, and that is the most important thing,” the Bersatu politician was quoted as saying after the Perlis State Legislative Assembly sitting at Kompleks Seri Putra here.

He was responding to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s confirmation that PAS and Umno leaders had met yesterday, with the Marang MP describing it as a routine meeting. 

Abdul Hadi had also said efforts to revive Muafakat Nasional were consistent with PAS’ long-standing objective of strengthening Malay-Muslim political cooperation.

On the current Perlis assembly sitting, Abu Bakar said proceedings had been smooth, with assemblymen debating issues professionally without resorting to personal attacks.

“This is where we want to preserve the relationship within the PN government, which is the most important thing. It is about maintaining good relations among all assemblymen and the entire state leadership,” he said.

Closer to home, the menteri besar also moved to bury revived allegations of statutory declarations (SDs) allegedly aimed at removing his predecessor, Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Ramli.

He said his earlier remarks were merely intended as advice and a reminder to Perlis PAS Youth chief Haziq Asyraf Dun to stop reviving the old controversy surrounding the alleged document.

“As I said yesterday, regarding the SD issue, I never mentioned it and we do not know whether it exists because we were summoned one by one by His Royal Highness the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail.

“I also did not say whether it exists or not; I merely asked that the matter be stopped. Whatever the case, if such matters exist, we should put them behind us.

“I was simply offering advice and a reminder to the PAS Youth chief that we should stop talking about this SD issue. We should focus on the assembly sitting and on preparing our election machinery,” he was quoted as saying.

Yesterday, Utusan Malaysia reported that PAS Youth maintained its belief that there had been an effort involving SDs signed by Bersatu assemblymen to bring down Mohd Shukri, based on alleged admissions by three former PAS assemblymen whose party memberships had been terminated during a meeting with PAS central leadership on Dec 21 last year.

Abu Bakar said the state government remained firm in its view that the SD issue should not be revisited because it was an old matter that certain parties were attempting to revive.

“Today it is crystal clear that this matter will not be raised again, God willing,” he was quoted as saying.