Umno has the mechanism to ensure that none of its members are supporting the newly emerging ‘Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’ (Bersatu), said party vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said Umno as a party that had long been established, had a lot of experience in dealing with splinter parties such as Semangat 46 and PKR.

Hishammuddin, who is also the defence minister, warned that stern action would be taken against any Umno member who gave their support to the newly-emerging party.

"However, a thorough investigation must be made before any action is taken to ensure that no one is victimised.

"We cannot take action randomly. We do not want certain parties to exploit it for its own sake," he told reporters after opening the Batu Gajah Umno division delegates meeting today.

Hishammuddin was commenting on the establishment of Bersatu on Tuesday.

Elaborating further, he said with various challenges faced by Umno, the only way to overcome it was for members at all levels to support the current leadership.

"Their support is crucial. The issue we are facing, if we share them with members, unity will strengthen the party.

"We must make sure our platform, our party are for the next generation, whatever we do is much more important than individual interest," he said.

- Bernama