The 2013 Umno general assembly kicks off today with the simultaneous opening of general assemblies of the party’s three wings.

The opening ceremony will be graced by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is Umno deputy president, at Dewan Merdeka, Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur at 8pm.

This afternoon, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is Umno president, is scheduled to deliver his message to the participating delegates at a closed-door meeting at Dewan Merdeka.

The five-day general assembly will be attended by 5,726 delegates.

Meanwhile, the 2013 Umno International Forum, which enters its second and final day today, will continue with the third plenary session with the title ‘When Power Is Might, Is There Hope For Global Moderation’.

The session will feature National Professors Council deputy chairperson, Eminent Professor Dr Shamsul Ambri Baharuddin as moderator.

The five panellists to be featured in the session will be vice-chairperson of the Commission for External Relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vuong Thua Phong; chairperson of Golkar Party of Indonesia Aburizal Bakrie; Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mesha’al of Palestine; deputy chairperson of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Development of AK Party of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu; and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

A total of 121 participants from 31 political parties in 25 countries, including Palestine National Movement the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Communist Party of China, are attending the forum.

- Bernama