KUALA LUMPUR: The participation of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Unity Government is one of the issues raised by the Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri chiefs, in their policy speeches at the general assembly of the party’s wings, today.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said Umno’s participation in the Unity Government, as decided by the Umno Supreme Council on Nov 23, last year, should be fully supported.

Asyraf Wajdi said that the stance was not only taken to uphold the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who wanted stability, but also took into account the interests of Umno as a party, which always embraces the concept of power-sharing with various races.

“We don’t have to continue to be worried and frustrated until we lose our way and give up. We have to realize that even with all the challenges, Allah still gives us a second chance,” he said.

Meanwhile, Puteri chief, Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan, said that being the decisive party in forming the Unity Government, which is now being built, is the medicine which is the antidote after Umno recorded declining results in the last 15th General Election (GE15).

She said that the decision to join the Unity Government was a political reality which had to be faced because Umno did not want to be outside the government and let the instability continue while increasing the people’s hatred towards the party.

“For that reason, we have accepted the decision to be with the party which obtained the most number of seats in GE15, in the name of the Unity Government,” she said.

For Wanita chief, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, even though Umno and BN are part of the Unity Government, Umno needs to remain grounded in the essence of its struggle, but with a different strategy and approach.

In addition, Noraini, who is also the Parit Sulong Member of Parliament, said that Umno’s position in the government needs to be explained to the grassroots.