UMNO AGM | In a rare occasion, Umno wings have held their annual general assemblies without their MCA counterparts in attendance.

Ties have been strained between the BN coalition partners, after MCA president Liow Tiong Lai threatened on Sunday to expel Umno from BN if the largest opposition party continued to seek closer ties with PAS.

The meeting today, which was held at Umno’s headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, saw the attendance of PAS leaders, included its Youth chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi.

Delegates booed when Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki explained that MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon had apologised for being unable to attend the event today, as he had to go for a meeting.

However, they cheered when Asyraf introduced PAS Youth chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi (far right in photo) to the audience.

The BN coalition shrank from 13 parties to three after the 14th general election, with only Umno, MCA, and MIC remaining.

It has been a tradition for leaders of BN component parties to attend the annual general assemblies of the respective parties.

However, only MIC Youth chief R Thinalan was seen representing the other BN component parties today.

No MCA Wanita leader was spotted at Umno Wanita and Puteri meetings.

No boycott

When contacted, Chong denied that MCA Youth had boycotted Umno's meeting.

According to him, MCA Youth will conduct the wing's state-level polls today.

"The date for the state wing's election was decided much earlier," he told Malaysiakini.

Chong (photo), who is also Selangor MCA Youth chief, will attend the state’s Youth wing meeting, which begins at 2pm today.

Before that, the former deputy education minister said he had to attend the MCA central committee meeting which was scheduled to begin at 11am.

When asked why he was unable to spare time to attend the Umno meeting in the morning, he said he needed to draft his speech for the state wing assembly.

It is expected that efforts at co-operation between Umno and PAS will be discussed and debated in the Umno meetings today and tomorrow.

On the fourth floor, pictures and reports of the Umno-PAS collaboration could be seen in a picture gallery which featured Umno activities and news since Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took over as party president in June (photo).

The images of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man were also exhibited at the gallery.

Both parties had campaigned and made way for each other in the Sungai Kandis and Seri Setia by-elections, with party president Zahid subsequently leading some top leaders to attend the PAS muktamar in Kuala Terengganu in earlier this month.