BAGAN DATUK: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he has never received any calls from Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming over the proposal to nominate new Chinese villages in Selangor as Unesco World Heritage Sites.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Umno president, added that the statement made by the party's secretary-general over the matter is the official stance of the party.
"He (Nga) has never contacted me.
"Maybe he contacted other (Umno) leaders, that I do not know.
"Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has come out with a statement and that is Umno's official stance," he told reporters after attending a Chinese New Year celebration at a house in Taman Desa Bersatu, Simpang Empat, Hutan Melintang here today.
Earlier today, Nga said he would meet Umno leaders to discuss his proposal to nominate new Chinese villages in Selangor as Unesco World Heritage Sites.
This follows statements from several Umno leaders who claimed the proposal touched on the position of the Malay-Bumiputera community.
Nga said that he had already contacted Umno leaders to discuss this matter.
Nga recently said that the proposal to nominate Chinese new villages in Selangor as a Unesco World Heritage Site was to recognise their cultural and historical importance since they were formed 76 years ago.
Asyraf Wajdi, in a statement, rejected the proposal, stating that the implications were too big and indirectly affected the Malay-Bumiputera position in the country.
He claimed the matter was against the Federal Constitution, which only recognised the Bumiputera as original residents with certain rights.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was quoted as saying that the racially charged statements of DAP leaders were harmful to the sensitivities of the people as well as the harmony of society.
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Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was reported as saying the proposal should be brought to the Cabinet or discussed in Parliament.
