THE Umno Paya Besar division wants party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resign for failing to lead the party in a clear direction, which has caused an internal crisis.

Division chief Ahmad Tajuddin Sulaiman said Zahid had failed to resolve the party’s internal “chaos” since the 14th general election in 2018 which had caused it to lose the trust of the Malays.

“The antics of some Supreme Council members and MPs that have no direction have caused Umno to lose the confidence of Malays.

“The lack of direction and weak leadership has affected the unity of Umno’s 3.6 million members,” Tajuddin said in a statement with the division’s letterhead.

The Paya Besar division is apparently the first to openly call for Zahid to quit, although a few Umno youth grassroots leaders have made similar calls recently.

Paya Besar, in Kuantan, Pahang, is the federal constituency of Mohd Shahar Abdullah, who is also currently deputy finance minister II.

Calls for Zahid to step down come as Umno is split three ways between factions that one, want to continue with the Perikatan Nasional government; two, want to overthrow the Bersatu-led government; and three, want to work with forming a new government with DAP and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Such calls are also being made as Umno faces its party elections this year, on a date yet to be confirmed.

The party’s annual general assembly scheduled for January 30 and 31 was postponed due to the movement-control order against the Covid-19 pandemic. – January 22, 2021.