Thousands thronged Bukit Jalil Stadium last night to celebrate Umno's 71st anniversary but the event did not go down well for everyone.

As dusk fell, lethargic-looking youths sat along the sidelines while party loyalists began streaming into the stadium in anticipation of Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's speech.

"UiTM (Universti Teknologi Mara) told us we were attending a volunteerism programme but we were tricked.

"We arrived since morning just to sit under the tree. We've done the free blood test twice and now we're back to sitting under the tree again.

"Now we're very tired and have no idea what else to do," said a UiTM student who only wanted to be known as Syafiq.

The Umno anniversary celebration was accompanied with a carnival that included various programmes, such as a job fair and free health checks.

Syafiq was among the 110 bus load of university students that were ferried to Bukit Jalil Stadium as early as 10am. Each bus could carry 44 passengers.

UiTM had informed its students that they would be attending a "Patriotism Volunteerism Programme" and that attendance was compulsory...