A small fraction of Umno delegates wanting to have fun might touch upon sensitive racial issues during the debates at the Umno AGM but the non-Malays should not be worried over it, said the party's secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad today.

He said that the non-Malays need not fear if there were a handful of Umno delegates who debated in sensitive matters during the four-day annual meeting.

"The non-Malays will understand that it involves only a small fraction who wants to have fun, the others will understand," he was reported as saying by Bernama .

"We have been together for 50 years since the country's independence," he told reporters at the lobby of the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

He said their action did not represent the whole Umno membership which now stands at 3.3 million.

Radzi added that the Malays and Umno truly respected and appreciated the cultures of the various races in the country.

"The non-Malays should not worry," said Radzi, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.

Smooth proceedings

He also expressed satisfaction on the proceedings of the general assembly thus far.

Last night Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak launched the simultaneous opening of the general assemblies of the Umno Wanita, Youth and Puteri wings.

Today the three organs have their respective one-day assemblies.

The main party's meeting starts tomorrow with an opening speech from the party president and PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"I'm very happy with the proceedings and the atmosphere at the general assembly. Everything went well so far," he said.

Controversial racial remarks made by delegates during debates became a burning issue during last year's annual meeting when the entire proceedings was telecast live over satellite station Astro .

This year a decision has been made not to show any live telecast of the debates given the nature of the sensitive matters raised in the debates.