Its vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin said in a statement that the party had always been “consistent” in its pro-Islam and Malay stand.
“Everyone can check. Our stand is clear. There has never been any change. The Malay agenda, Islam and the brightest future for a multiracial Malaysia, are the three main pillars of Umno — before, now and forever,” he said, adding that the party would not apologise for upholding their pro-Malay ideology.
Khaled said there had been “systematic threats” to the position of the Malay race and Islam under the guise of freedom, saying that this might not be from PPBM but from its allies in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“Therefore, when PPBM are unable to do anything apart from playing deaf and bowing down to the liberals in Pakatan Harapan, Umno would not turn a blind eye towards these threats,” he said.
Khaled said Umno believed that the systematic threats would cause the downfall of the Malays if they were allowed to continue.
In his speech at the PPBM second general assembly, the party’s president Muhyiddin Yassin slammed PAS and Umno for allegedly fanning racial sentiments and inciting Malays to go against the PH government.
“Their political capital today has not differed,” Muhyiddin said in his speech, adding that the PH leadership had agreed to always support and respect the role of Islam as the official religion of the state, as spelt out in the Federal Constitution.
Muhyiddin said Umno and PAS had been spreading lies about Muslims no longer being safe in Malaysia and that the position of the Malay rulers as heads of Islam was under threat.
He also claimed that Umno and PAS were spreading lies that Jakim (Malaysian Islamic Development Department) would be done away with, and laws to allow LGBT culture and same-sex marriage would be passed in Parliament.
Khaled, however, said that the threats towards Malays and Islam were not fictitious.
“These threats are no fairytales. How can an alliance, which harbours ill thoughts towards each other and is inconsistent in their interpretations of the Federal Constitution, protect the rights and the special position of the Malays?”
However, he acknowledged that some of Umno’s methods in upholding their ideology were ineffective. “All of these will have to be improved and reviewed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khaled also refuted claims of any formal collaboration with PAS.
“Our association with PAS only extends to aspects relating to Islam and the Malay race, and issues that would have negative impacts towards the country. We are not a coalition. This is simply a symbol of political maturity,” he said.
Khaled also pointed out that Umno has been around for 70 years and many PPBM members, including Muhyiddin, would not be where they are if not for the party.