KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — With discussions surrounding the 15th General Election (GE15) heating up, political parties and coalitions are seen to be racing to hold their respective conventions and gatherings to prepare for the polls.

Tomorrow alone, there are five political meetings scheduled involving various parties and coalitions, namely Umno, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Parti Warisan (Warisan), Parti Berjasa Malaysia (Berjasa) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

In the capital, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will hold a special briefing with divisional committee members and leaders at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre on Umno’s preparedness for the GE, besides touching on current issues involving the party.

On August 24, the Umno political bureau meeting at the party headquarters was understood to have discussed several developments, including the Federal Court’s decision to uphold the sentence against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

PN, meanwhile, will be holding its first-ever convention to determine its blueprint for GE15 and to discuss people-related issues post-Covid-19, in addition to celebrating its second anniversary.

The convention, scheduled to be held at the Malaysian Agricultural Expo Park Serdang (MAEPS), will be attended by 1,800 delegates from all PN component parties, namely Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), PAS, Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) Sabah and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin in a statement earlier said the convention would serve to renew the coalition’s determination in its struggle and strengthen the cooperation among the allied parties.

PKR, a major component party of Pakatan Harapan, will also be organising its 2022 Election Convention in preparation for GE15 at Dewan Raja Muda Musa, Selangor Youth and Sports Complex, in Shah Alam.

The convention’s director, G. Manivanan, in a statement said it involved leaders from all levels of the party as well as activists, grassroots members and party volunteers.

The convention is scheduled to begin 2pm and will be divided into two segments, the first involving the voices of the grassroots and the second comprising that of the leadership, which features a special address by the party’s president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and an election strategy briefing by PKR election director Rafizi Ramli.

Meanwhile, an estimated 2,000 leaders from Berjasa, which recently announced a collaboration with several other parties under the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition, will participate in the "Himpunan Nasional 2022” gathering at Dewan Tun Abdul Razak, Menara Bank Rakyat, here.

Berjasa president Zamani Ibrahim in a statement informed that the gathering would highlight the party’s struggle as well as what it would offer in terms of empowering the nation.

GTA chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also chairman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) is scheduled to deliver a speech at the event.

In Sabah, Parti Warisan (Warisan) is set to hold its 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and party elections at the Sabah Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) Hall in Penampang beginning at 9.15am tomorrow.

Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who retained his post after winning unopposed, is scheduled to inaugurate the meeting and deliver the party’s policy speech.

Only 20 positions in the party’s Supreme Council will be contested in this election, as the president, deputy president, and three vice president posts have been won unopposed. The party’s wings, namely Wira, Wirawati and Wanita are holding their respective AGMs and elections today.

A total of 5,000 Warisan delegates and observers from 25 divisions of the party in Sabah, one division in Labuan and several pro tem committees from the peninsula are scheduled to attend the meeting tomorrow. — Bernama