Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein today advised his party members not to be taken up by the various issues raised by irresponsible quarters.

These issues were brought up to weaken the party, pit its leaders against one another and create doubts in members about their leaders, Hishammuddin said.

“It could most probably be a psychological warfare by irresponsible quarters, purely to pit our leaders against one another and to weaken them,” he said to reporters after opening the Rantau Panjang Umno division delegates meeting in Pasir Mas, Kelantan.

Hishammuddin, who is defence minister and special functions minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said it was important now for all Umno members to strengthen the party and proceed with the agenda of ensuring a Barisan Nasional victory in the 14th general election.

Asked about the PAS proposal for the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the Memali incident, he said the suggestion should be sincere and not a political motivation that could cause chaos in the country.

"At a time when the general election is approaching, let’s not suggest anything that can disunite the people of various races and religions,” he said.

PAS called for the RCI after the issue of the Memali incident came up when a fracas erupted at the ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ forum in Shah Alam on Sunday, when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was replying to a question on the tragedy.

The forum was organised by the Youth wing of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). Mahathir is the chairperson of Bersatu.

What has come to be known as the Memali incident was a police operation on Nov 19, 1985, to capture a religious teacher, Ibrahim Mahmud, better known as Ibrahim Libya, in Kampung Memali, Kedah, in the face of resistance that resulted in the deaths of 18 people, four of them policemen.

- Bernama