Umno to lower membership age to 16

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will lower its membership age to 16 from 18 as part of changes to be carried out within the party, said its president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“We have to be ready. At the international level, youth is defined as 15 years,” he told reporters after the Umno supreme council meeting at PWTC here yesterday.

He was flanked by other Umno leaders, including deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Asked to elaborate on the changes, Dr Ahmad Zahid said the party would “clean up” its membership list, removing those who had died or left.

This, he added, was important because the party wanted more quality than quantity.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said the party supreme council had also agreed to the setting up of an advisory council with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as its chairman.

To a question on who else would be part of the council, he said the chairman would be given the freedom to choose its members.

All these changes, he said, would be done in line with the hopes and aspirations of the grassroots.

The party, he added, had also set up nine councils, eight committees and 10 secretariats.

“All of them have different roles to play, with the committees taking over the party’s bureaus while the councils have a role in empowering Umno.

“The secretariat will focus on public policy issues,” said Dr Ahmad Zahid.

The party’s annual general assembly would also be brought forward to September, added Dr Ahmad Zahid.