Zahid to make important announcement on Jan 17
The Umno president said the establishment of the organisation was proposed by him...
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is expected to announce the establishment of an organisation outside the political arena on the final day of the party’s annual general meeting this Saturday.
The Umno president said the establishment of the organisation was proposed by him.
“The cabinet has also approved it, and I will announce it on the final day of the AGM,” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of Multaqa Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia today.
Also present during the event were Federal Territories mufti Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil, Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin, and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Faculty of Syariah and Law dean Abdul Manan Ismail.
Meanwhile, Zahid said he did not rule out the possibility of inviting ulama and representatives of other political parties, including PAS, to the Multaqa Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia in the future.
“This is the first time it has been organised since I took over in 2018, and the strategic cooperation with Yayasan Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia is an effort to set aside political ideology.
“When it comes to religious matters, we must strive for unity of thought, and this is the approach we are taking. We intend to be open in doing so,” he said.
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Balancing ties between rulers, scholars
In his speech, Zahid said the relationship between “umara” (rulers) and “ulama” (Islamic scholars) must be balanced to ensure the country’s administration is carried out based on trust, knowledge, wisdom, and prudence.
He said meetings and discussions between “umara” and “ulama” are important to bridge the realities of the current administration with religious demands, so that decisions are not based on emotions or narrow political interests.
The Bagan Datuk MP also said he regarded a statement by former PAS spiritual leader, the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat - that the Islamist party would dissolve if Umno placed Islam as the foundation of its constitution - as a last will and testament.
“When the late Nik Aziz made that statement, I regarded it as a ‘wasiat’ (will). The first thing I did after taking over Umno’s leadership was to place Islam in the party’s constitution.
“But PAS has not dissolved yet; I consider that PAS will dissolve on its own,” he said.
- Bernama
