SEMBRONG Umno division chief Hishammuddin Hussein has urged grassroots members to stop pitting leaders against each other and dividing the party, and instead focus on maintaining stability.

He said he was worried about issues that seemed to be creating schisms in the party of late, including the controversial audio recording – supposedly of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – and the Umno 3.0 movement, adding that the matter was also frowned upon.

“What is Umno 3.0? It just never ends… I urge all parties, please, it’s enough. We have so much more on our agenda. I have already stated what is important is the stability of our own party.

“Efforts to pit the leaders against each other, to create certain camps must stop because what is important now is for us to strengthen our party after the recent general assembly,” he told reporters in Kluang, today.

The former party vice-president said the infighting would affect Umno’s momentum going into the 15th general election, if it was not dealt with accordingly.

“This has been spreading from before, I myself have been a victim for three years but I still remain in Umno, accused of various things, I am still in Umno.

“They can accuse me of betraying the party, of wanting to hop to another party, but for three years I am still in the party.

“If we had spent the past three years just thinking about whether I am going to do so, it would have just been a waste of time and it certainly will not help rebuild Umno back to the level we hope,” he said.

“For me, what is important is the stand of the party and if we go back to the stand of the supreme council and the recent general assembly, it is clear what Umno really wants.

“Regardless of the authenticity of the recording, it is not something that worries me, because everyone knows the party’s stance from the very beginning is ‘No Anwar, No DAP’ and ‘Yes Bersatu’ until the 15th general election,” he said. – Bernama, April 12, 2021.