No point in digging up old stories, says Umno info chief

PETALING JAYA: There is no point in digging up old stories or adding to them, as the Umno president is aware of matters and he should be allowed to make a judgment on them, says information chief Sharil Hamdan.

The recent infighting in Umno will be used as ammunition by the Opposition to attack the party over its disunity, Sharil said.

“The happiest hearing of all these allegations will be the Opposition.

“Every allegation will be used as ammunition to attack Umno.

“The narrative of the fighting will be easy - how is Umno able to offer stability when there is no unity within Umno itself,” he said in a Facebook post titled “Which Direction Will Umno Choose” on Monday (June 27) night.

Sharil’s lament comes in the wake of a press conference by former Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who made several damaging claims against party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, including revealing a plot among some Umno leaders to oust him of his post.

He claimed that even Umno cybertroopers have been mobilised to attack those in their very own party.

Although not naming anyone specifically, he said there had been recent attacks against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yakoob over his weak administration despite the Premier being busy managing the nation’s challenging economy and politics.

He added that there were also attacks against the Umno resident for being a liability and weak, although he had led the party to victories in seven elections.

“There is daily sharing and viral messages labelling this as the Putrajaya cluster and the PWTC cluster.

“The speculation that this person will be sacked and that person will be sacked doesn’t stop,” he said.

He also noted that matters within Umno should be left to Ahmad Zahidi to handle, as the party duly elected him, while matters pertaining to the nation’s administration should be left to Ismail Sabri to manage.

He noted that Ismail, who is vice-president, was chosen by Umno as its poster-boy to be their candidate for the post of Prime Minister and there should be no doubts on this.

He suggested that all sides should focus on the coming general elections and work together to avoid defeat in the polls.

“The date of the general election should be discussed by the top five (in Umno).

There is no need for fighting and suspicion,” he said.