UMNO vice-presidents will handle press conferences each day of the UMNO annual general assembly, said party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

“For now Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein will handle the sessions,” he said when met at Parliament lobby today.

“For the other person, we will ask him when he returns. If he wants, then okay,” he said referring to UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.

He said the decision to pick the two vice-presidents was because of Shafie’s absence at the UMNO supreme council (MT) meeting on Tuesday.

Besides Shafie, other UMNO top guns who were absent from the meeting include Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin.

Commenting on UMNO’s decision to only allow limited media access to the party’s AGM which begins next month, Tengku Adnan said this is to ensure spinning of his statements.

“So the MT decided not to grant access,” he said.

The meeting yesterday also decided that the three meetings - Youth, Wanita and Puteri, will be officiated by their respective movement heads, instead of Muhyiddin.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also UMNO president said the decision was made following the proposal by all the wings concerned.

Muhyiddin and Shafie were removed from the federal Cabinet late July, outwardly for questioning Najib’s manner in handling the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue.

Muhyiddin and Shafie, who remain as UMNO deputy president and vice-president, have continued to criticise the party leadership, prompting demands that UMNO impose actions over their undisguised attacks.