'Nervous' Loke says never thought he'd speak at Umno headquarters

For years, Umno's headquarters at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) was hostile territory for DAP - a party that the former often painted as the enemies of Malays and Islam.

It was unthinkable then that any DAP leader would be able to set foot in the area - let alone address Umno members from a rostrum.

Such were the sentiments shared by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who took the stage to address the Unity Government Convention today.

"I think no one from my party ever thought to speak here. Never did it occur to me that I would be giving a speech here [...] I am a little nervous.

"Normally I do not need notes, but I have notes today," said the transport minister.

"I am nervous because I have no prior experience speaking here.

"Maybe (Prime Minister) Anwar (Ibrahim) has a lot more experience. He is returning to his old arena after a long time," said Loke, in reference to the premier being a former Umno deputy president in the 1990s.

Loke described the day's gathering as making political history with parties representing all majority and minority races, ethnic groups and religions, from all the states as well as Sabah and Sarawak regions.

"This gathering carries a highly significant meaning. This represents the future of Malaysia," he said.

Besides Loke, other DAP leaders who spoke at the convention today were DAP deputy chairperson Gobind Singh Deo, Women's chief Chong Eng and Youth chief Kelvin Yii.

Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof - who is the unity government secretariat's secretary-general, said there were over 3,500 delegates gathered in Dewan Merdeka for the main event, while over 5,000 were present for both the Women Unity Convention 2023 and Youth Unity Convention 2023.

A repeating theme at the convention today has been setting aside past differences, and uniting for a common cause.

Umno first used the WTCKL as a platform to soften its stance towards DAP during the party's general assembly in January.

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