Supreme Council yet to discuss closed-door UMNO AGM: Zahid

The decision for the UMNO general assembly next month to be a closed-door meeting without media coverage has yet to be discussed at the party supreme council, said UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is the deputy prime minister and home minister, said he would ask UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor about it.

Tengku Adnan had said UMNO had decided that the party general assembly next month would be a closed-door meeting to avert spinning of news stories by the media, particularly online media and news portals.

Ahmad Zahid said: "He (Tengku Adnan) has yet to bring the matter to the supreme council. I will ask him."

He spoke to reporters after a pinning of the rank ceremony of the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) for young leaders here today.

Also present were UMNO Youth chief and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Rela director-general Datuk Kamariah Mohd Noah.

Commenting on the decision of the Supreme Council yesterday for the general assemblies of the three wings to be opened by their respective chiefs instead of the deputy president, Ahmad Zahid said the council members merely accepted the request of the wing chiefs.

Khairy Jamaluddin confirmed that UMNO Youth had requested that its meeting be opened by its chief.

"The matter of who opens the meeting is not provided for in the UMNO meeting rules and party constitution. It is only by convention. It is just that this year we requested for the opening to be made by the chiefs of the wings," he said.

He stressed that it was not an issue of blocking deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from speaking at the opening of the wings' general assemblies.

"There is no intention to silence anyone. Just for this year, we felt it is appropriate for the opening of the wings' general assemblies to be conducted by their respective heads," he said.