UMNO says statement urging MY to stop championing Malay agenda is fake

A statement claiming that the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has adopted a more open approach and is willing to lessen its exclusive focus on Malay agendas is fake. 

This was confirmed by UMNO on its social media platforms. 

The false statement used UMNO's official letterhead and was allegedly issued by UMNO's president Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on 12 May 2024. 

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The statement, which A+M saw, mentioned that Malaysia should emulate Singapore, which has shown rapid progress, and which is no longer too focused on the interests of a particular race.

It added that such a transformation demonstrates a new awareness among Malay voters about the importance of 'Malaysian Malaysia' - an inclusive and multi-racial Malaysia.

UMNO is not the only political party that has been impacted by fake statements in recent times.

In April, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) requested Meta to shut down a fake account impersonating Pang Sock Tao, unity government’s candidate for Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB) by-election.

The fake account had used photos of the candidate and released a false statement.

"Pang's candidature was announced last night. Today, someone has used her photos to create a fake account on Facebook," said DAP National Publicity Secretary Teo Nie Ching in a statement.

Teo added that the party has requested Meta to close down the fake account and believes that there will be more fake accounts impersonating party candidates or leaders. These impersonators, she added, will likely spread disinformation and hate speech during the upcoming by-election.

Photo courtesy UMNO, Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Facebook

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