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If UK has Brexit, we have ‘Umno-exit’, says Rafidah
Published:  Jul 1, 2016 4:30 PM
Updated: 10:12 AM

While the United Kingdom went through 'Brexit' after Britons voted to leave the European Union, former cabinet member Rafidah Aziz says Malaysia is not far behind, with its own 'Umno-exit'.

“Umno continues with its own ‘Umno-exit’ by removing several Umno leaders over various reasons and there are those who have left the party,” Rafidah said in a Facebook post today.

She said Umno has experienced all kinds of incidents and each one has eroded the party’s strength and resilience.

With more young people seemingly in the dark about Umno’s past struggles, the party could not simply rely on such sentiments to shore up support, she said.

The country’s political scenario as well as its social and economic situation required different strategies, Rafidah said.

“However, we cannot run away from the fact that unity, regardless of time and era, is the key to the success of a party.

“Unity would be affected when the party is split according to groups, when differences of opinion cannot be accepted and are instead considered as defiance,” she said.

Rafidah also said leaders seemed to go out of their way to show that the other was "truly ugly and bad", and this had only led to the public viewing all of them that way.

“Politics has become personal. Is this the aim of Umno leaders when they fight among themselves?” she asked.

The former international trade and industry minister reminded Umno of how it was once deregistered, with former members forming their own parties and going against Umno.

“Why do we let enmity spread in the party – that friends become enemies and enemies end up sharing the same pillow?

“Haven’t we learned from the past? From bitter incidents that have very much affected the party?”

Citing the coming month of Shawal, Rafidah said it was only appropriate for everyone to think about where the party was heading to.

“We are not fostering strength if we don’t have unity in its true sense. Unity does not entail shouting (party) slogans, hugging each other or kissing the hands (of leaders),” she added.

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