Despite a clean sweep of the nominations to retain the Puteri Umno chief post, Azalina Othman Said must still clarify the allegations levelled against her, said a political rival today.

"Only then, can she expect undivided support from all quarters in Puteri Umno, including myself," Raihan Sulaiman Palestine (photo) told malaysiakini .

Raihan and three others Mastina Abdul Hamid, Mazibah Mohd Zin and Ummi Hafilda Ali had aspired to contest for the post but failed to receive a single nomination.

Azalina, on the other hand, was nominated by all the 165 Puteri Umno divisions nationwide. The two-year-old wing will hold its inaugural election on Nov1.

"It would be uncomfortable for Azalina to lead Puteri Umno with these allegations hovering above her," said Raihan.

Last month, Elly Zalilah Yusof, a former close aide of the pro tem chief, accused her of corruption and lodged reports with the police and the Umno management committee.

Elly claimed that vehicles belonging to the wing were registered under the names of outsiders, questioned the need for the wing to have three bank accounts and alleged discrepancies in funds collected for Afghan refugees.

She also accused Azalina of resorting to strong-arm tactics to intimidate her political foes.

Swear in mosque

In April, a Malay tabloid Perdana Sari claimed that the Puteri Umno chief was homosexual and that she had purchased a luxury car for her lover using party funds.

The tabloid also published a photograph of the 38-year-old lawyer-cum-politician's alleged lover, who is the wife of a prominent businessman.

Azalina (photo) was handpicked by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to lead the wing, that was formed to attract young Malay women into Umno's fold.

Meanwhile, Raihan said it was important to determine whether these allegations were true or otherwise.

"Until then, it would be very difficult for me to cooperate with her in Puteri Umno," she said.

Raihan said she was also at a loss over who had the authority to deal with the allegations since the Umno disciplinary committee said it lacked the powers to do so.

"Probably, in the best interest of everybody, Azalina should swear her innocence by holding the Quran in the mosque," she added.

Afraid of contest

She also expressed surprise on how the four aspiring candidates failed to get a single nomination from the 165 Puteri Umno divisions.

"It is ridiculous that none of us got a single nomination. Even my father (Sulaiman Palestin) got nominations when he offered himself to contest against (the late former prime minister) Tun Hussein Onn for the Umno presidency," she said.

However, Sulaiman suffered a crushing defeat in the hands of Hussein Onn in the fourth Umno General Assembly in 1978.

"Obviously someone up there is too scared to allow a contest for the Puteri Umno top post. What sort of democracy is it when you don't open the door for contest?" she stressed.

The wing's constitution states that in order to be eligible to contest for the post, a candidate must receive a minimum of two nominations.