Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has clarified that the call for the Democratic Action Party (DAP) to remove the term ‘secular’ from its constitution is not the official stance of his party. The suggestion, which was put forth by Umno supreme council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, was deemed a personal opinion rather than a party-wide position. During a recent statement, Zahid emphasized that Umno respected its allies within the national unity government and had no intention of forcing amendments to their respective party constitutions.
He stated, “This is not the position of Umno and Barisan. We respect all our friends, the component parties of the unity government.” Zahid, who also holds the position of Deputy Prime Minister, further clarified that any decisions on this matter would necessitate internal discussions within Umno.
Last week, Nur Jazlan expressed the view that DAP should take steps to garner support from Malay voters who have shifted their allegiance to the Perikatan Nasional federal Opposition since the previous general election. Among his suggestions, Nur Jazlan proposed that DAP abandon its aspiration for Malaysia to be recognized as a secular state and discontinue using the slogan “Malaysian Malaysia” in its pursuit of equality. He argued that these objectives could be unsettling for Malay voters and hinder Umno’s efforts to regain their support. However, Zahid’s recent statement has clarified that these opinions do not reflect Umno’s official stance.