Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today spoke up against the "politics of hate", which he said does not move the nation forward.

“The other side only plays the politics of hate and demonise others, but they don’t emphasise a better agenda,” said Najib without mentioning names.

"It is easy to demonise others, although it is the biggest sin," he said.

The prime minister made this remark during a gathering of young women, organised by Puteri Umno at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

Najib, in his speech, asked members of Puteri Umno to do two things for him.

First, they should convince the younger generation that the Umno/BN platform was the best, as it focuses on the agenda of development and transformation.

Najib also requested Puteri Umno to prepare the younger generation of women to face all kinds of challenges.

“We must go beyond politics, meaning, it’s more than about getting their votes.

"We must prepare young women to face future challenges through education.

"We must enhance them spiritually, as well as their soft skills, leadership qualities and networking capabilities,” he said.

Confident that Puteri Umno would be able to do this, Najib added that he would assist as much as he could, so that women would play their roles effectively and achieve more.

Women's success our success, too

The Umno president, earlier in his speech, stressed the importance of assisting women.

“Their success is our success, too,” he said.

For countries to succeed, Najib said their women must be given fair opportunities based on merit and ability.

Women, he believed, do not want to be given opportunities out of sympathy, nor they want to depend on subsidies.

Citing successful women icons as well as the country’s recent victories through its Paralympians, Najib said these proved others could shine too, provided they had positive mental attitudes and the will to succeed.