AHMAD Zahid Hamidi will not step down as the Umno head but will continue to fulfil the mandate given to him to lead the Malay party into a new era as the opposition.

The Umno president said he would continue to perform his duties and ensure he repaid the trust of party members who had voted him to the post in the last party elections.

“There is a proposal for me to take leave ... in other words, retire, (but) I do not think that is an option,” he said after a closed-door meeting with Terengganu party leaders in Kuala Terengganu this afternoon.

“Giving up is not an option for me.”

In a tweet before the meeting Zahid said he was not stepping aside and told those calling for him to go on leave to focus instead on the real enemies working to destroy the party.

The former deputy prime minister thanked Umno Youth for its suggestion that he takes a break pending the outcome of his criminal charges, and advised them to watch out instead for the foes of Umno.

Zahid was last week charged with 45 counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering involving RM114 million.

The offences relate to misappropriation of funds from a charity of which he is a trustee and to receiving gratification in his former position as home minister. 

Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki called on Zahid to go on leave pending the resolution of his court case, saying it was the unanimous view of the wing excos that he should have the time and space to focus on his legal battle, away from the media spotlight.

But Zahid today stressed that his position in the party was decided by an election. 

“Let the general assembly determine whether a person holds a post in the party and not other factors or views that are not in line with the party constitution.”

The opposition leader did not answer questions from the press today after announcing that he was proceeding with a national tour to meet the party grassroots.

He said the tour was arranged by the party’s political management bureau for him to meet the rank and file following Umno’s defeat in the 14th general elections.

Now that Umno Youth had made a call for him to go on leave, he said, he would also take the opportunity to defend his position to the leaders and members of the various states.

Zahid kicked off the tour today in Terengganu. The next stops are Kedah, Perlis, Penang and Negeri Sembilan next weekend.

He was accompanied today by his deputy Mohamad Hasan, vice-presidents Mahdzir Khalid and Ismail Sabri Yaakob, secretary-general Annuar Musa and information chief Shamsul Anuar Nasarah. – October 26, 2018.