Top Umno leaders are told to stop insinuating that candidates who are contesting in the party polls next month are taking advantage of the Kuala Berang by-election to win support for themselves.

"Some parties have opined that such statements suggest that certain other parties are doing that," said sources close to Umno.

The sources said that such statements should not be repeatedly made as Muhammad Muhd Taib, who is defending his post as an Umno vice-president, is also the chairperson of the party's co-ordination committee for the by- election.

Muhd Taib had been picked to head the coordination committee by the Umno Management Board, which is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

"It is not surprising that there are supporters of Tan Sri (Muhd Taib) who may be hurt by such statements ... as if their presence in Kuala Berang was for ulterior motives, and not to help BN retain the seat."

"Should they labour hard, there may be some who think that they do so just to win support for their own candidate in the party polls due next month," the sources added.

Such 'contestants are taking advantage of Kuala Berang by-election' remarks were recently made by Umno secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, and last night by acting Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Another contender for the vice-presidency, Muhyiddin Yasin, had also echoed such sentiments recently.

"They feel that such a statement should not be made because it is not appropriate to question the intentions of those who want to help the Barisan Nasioanl (BN) candidate in Kuala Berang," they added.

"Otherwise, due to fears of being misconstrued, some may refrain from labouring hard ... and it will be Umno's, as well as Barisan Nasional's, loss," they said.

Straight fight

The Kuala Berang by-election on Aug 28 will be a straight fight between BN candidate, Mohd Zawawi Ismail, 45, and PAS candidate, Muhyiddin Abdul Rashid, 43.

The by-election was called following the death of BN assemblyman Komaruddin Abdul Rahman, 46, on July 30 from a heart attack.

Mohd Zawawi was assistant district education officer for Hulu Terengganu before he resigned to contest the by-election.

He was Komaruddin's assistant, and is said to be an Umno leader close to the grassroots level in Kuala Berang.

Muhyiddin is the PAS Hulu Terengganu district secretary, and had once held the post of PAS Terengganu Youth head.

He won the Hulu Terengganu parliamentary seat in the 1999 general elections, but in the recent general election five months ago, he lost to BN's candidate Tengku Putera Tengku Awang by 7,760 votes.