Zahid said many of them had met him informally to express their intention to rejoin the party.

However, he declined to name them to preserve their dignity and maintain cordial relations.

“Many of those who previously left Umno for the opposition have met me, but out of respect, there is no need for me to mention their names here.

“We welcome everyone unconditionally,” he told a press conference after officiating the opening of RisSMart Grocer here today.

On Friday, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki disclosed that the party had readmitted more than 6,000 former leaders and members, including ex-youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and former Supreme Council member Syed Hamid Albar.

The party also lifted former vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein’s six-year suspension.

Zahid said the large number of applications received has been encouraging, and he expected more prominent figures to come on board under the Rumah Bangsa initiative.

He said the Umno Supreme Council has decided that applications under the initiative will no longer need to go through a multi-layered vetting process.

Instead, the Rumah Bangsa committee, chaired by vice-president Khaled Nordin, has been authorised to approve applications promptly.

“They only need to submit a letter stating their intention to join, and we will make an immediate decision,” he said.

He described this as part of the party’s internal reform to expedite membership approvals, particularly in attracting influential figures back into Umno.

On Umno’s introduction of online membership applications, Zahid described it as a “game changer” that allows applications to be submitted directly to its headquarters without excessive bureaucracy.

“In the past, the process was lengthy – from branch to division, to state, and finally to headquarters. This does not appeal to the younger generation,” he said.