Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today urged the people, particularly Umno members, never to let Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak be alone in facing up to the accusations levelled by the opposition political parties.

Ahmad Zahid, who is an Umno vice-president also performing the duties of the deputy president, said the opposition had never appreciated the transformation and progress Najib had brought in various fields and had only dismissed any form of development he had introduced.

“Do not let our prime minister be alone. We have to rise and back him for what he is doing is for the good of the people and Umno members in the country,” he said when opening the Kulim/Bandar Baru Umno Division delegates meeting at the Dewan Seri Serdang in Bandar Baru.

Also present were the Umno division chief and Kulim/Bandar Baru MP Abd Aziz Sheikh Fadzir, Kedah Menteri Besar Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah and Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abd Rahim.

Ahmad Zahid said it was public knowledge that influential former key Umno leaders were those who often attacked the party and that it was the responsibility of Umno members to ensure that these people became politically irrelevant.

"We must ensure that Umno and the Barisan Nasional are led by the current leaders,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said he himself was averse to seeing accusations hurled at Umno, even that alleging that the party was behind the fracas at the ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ forum organised by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) in Shah Alam last Sunday.

He said that as the home minister, he would instruct the police to conduct a thorough investigation because he did not want Umno to be accused of disrupting the democratic process though it had differences of opinion with other political parties or organisations.

Referring to Kedah, Zahid said the rice-bowl state was fortunate to have a menteri besar in Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah who he said was “a hidden dragon” when the Barisan Nasional recaptured the state in the last general election, in 2013.

"We know that Kedah is very special to the prime minister. Solidarity among the Umno division chiefs in the state had made Kedah strong in terms of political and economic development. I will continue to help the prime minister to develop this state,” he said.

He said he wanted the BN to increase the majority for the Kulim/Bandar Baru parliamentary seat to 11,800 and that for the state seats of Kulim and Bandar Baru to 6,420 and 10,200, respectively.

Zahid said it was not impossible to achieve a victory 10 times bigger than before, going by the spirit of the BN in the 41 polling districts of the parliamentary constituency, and he was confident that MP Abd Aziz would be able to translate the people’s support into votes.
He said he would return to Kedah on Sept 3 to visit the newly completed Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex.

Zahid also announced an allocation of RM10,000 for the installation of air conditioners at Dewan Seri Serdang and RM500,000 for the initial works on the construction of the Bandar Baru Mahmud College adjacent to the Al-Fateh Mosque.

- Bernama