KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — Umno said today it has postponed its general assembly originally scheduled at the end of this month, following the new movement control order dubbed MCO 2.0 and state of Emergency.

“A new date will be notified soon,” Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said in a statement, reminding Umno members to observe the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

He said that party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has however agreed to have the party election at all levels to go on, “as scheduled at an appropriate date for the year 2021,” he added.

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“Meanwhile, all Umno members are reminded to always strengthen our front to focus on issues to protect and help the people, at a time that is so challenging currently,” he added.

The annual general meeting is expected to be one of the most anticipated ones this time around, as it would also see the party deciding on its political cooperation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

Umno’s expected decision on January 7 to cut ties with Bersatu, failed to materialise and the party instead said it would determine the matter during its annual assembly later this month, which has since been postponed.

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Umno built up heavy anticipation for its supreme council meeting on January 7, after purporting that 189 of its divisions favoured ending co-operation with Bersatu but journalists who waited hours for a promised press conference were left only with a non-committal statement about the matter.

Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan said in the statement that the cooperation with Bersatu would be on the agenda when the party holds its 2020 annual assembly that was postponed from November last year due to the persisting Covid-19 pandemic.