KUALA LUMPUR: A message is resonating throughout the Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings: Stop pitting the Umno president against the Prime Minister.

       These wings said that such attempts could cause the party’s downfall at a time when it should be united and strong.

       “Both the president (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) and the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) are our great leaders. They are the party’s precious jewels and we need to protect them,” said a Youth delegate from Kedah, Hayazi Azizan.

       “Stop pitting them against one another.”

       Hayazi said creating fights between factions would only lead to unwanted conflicts and feuds within the party.

       “There are hundreds of media personnel covering us at the Umno general assembly now. They want to see us fight each other,” said Hayazi.

       Kota Melaka Puteri chief Nur Farhana Abdul Ghani reminded the delegates to continue to respect the party president and the Prime Minister.

       She advised party members to use the “bullets” to take down enemies, not the people in the party.

       “We have witnessed how both the party president and the Prime Minister have worked hard and taken care of the party: from losing (in GE14) to winning by-elections as well as the Melaka and Johor elections,” she added.

       As such, she said Puteri Umno must show their support to both leaders, adding that they must also stay united.

       Kuala Kedah Wanita chief Datin Noor Hasita Mat Isa said both the party president and the Prime Minister were great leaders and this must be capitalised so that Umno would not be divided.

       “Let us use their combined strength and capabilities to strengthen the party and the country.

       “Umno will be strong under the president and we have the Prime Minister to lead the country,” she said.

       Puteri Umno’s Bera chief Salmiah Ab Rahman said Ismail Sabri should be Umno’s poster boy in the general election. He would fit the bill as he was already the Prime Minister, she added.

       The “poster boy” factor would be one of the most important elements aside from the machinery and grassroots support, she said.

       She said Umno should learn from the previous state elections in Melaka and Johor where the campaign strategy led to victories for Barisan Nasional.

       “We had named Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali as the candidate for Melaka Chief Minister; in Johor, Datuk Hasni Mohamad was the party’s poster boy.

       “It was agreed by everyone that the poster boys did play a huge role in Barisan’s victory,” Salmiah added.

       She noted that the party, which did not name anyone as a poster boy for the Sabah election, only managed to secure 14 seats out of 41 contested.