KOTA BHARU: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will not attend the Ummah Unity Prayer Gathering organised by PAS this Friday due to a major UMNO programme scheduled in Melaka on the same day.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the matter was conveyed by Kelantan UMNO liaison deputy chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh during a meeting to discuss both parties’ participation in the event.
Ahmad Zahid had initially been scheduled to deliver a speech alongside PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang at the gathering, which is expected to attract more than 100,000 people at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium.
Takiyuddin said the UMNO representative conveyed Ahmad Zahid’s apologies and explained that the party’s top leadership would be attending the programme in Melaka on Oct 23.
“They conveyed their president’s greetings and apologised because UMNO has a major programme in Melaka on the 23rd of this month. The president and the top leadership will be in Melaka, so they cannot attend this Friday,” he said.
He was speaking at the Kelantan 2026 Himpunan and Ummah Unity Prayer Gathering roadshow in Pasir Tumboh yesterday.
Takiyuddin added that UMNO representatives had proposed organising another ummah unity programme in Kelantan after the Melaka state election, with preparations to begin earlier through the establishment of a joint committee.
He said PAS welcomed the proposal and hoped Friday’s gathering would still draw a large crowd despite the absence of UMNO’s top leaders.
Takiyuddin urged supporters not to let the absence of UMNO leaders affect attendance, stressing that the organisers remained committed to attracting more than 100,000 participants.
The gathering is being held to mark 36 years of PAS-led administration in Kelantan, which began in 1990.
-AWANI
