The prolonged internal conflict in the Bagan Serai Umno division was resolved by Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today in the family spirit.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also carrying out the duties of Umno deputy president, while giving a speech before the division’s members here, stepped in to play the role of middleman and spontaneously called the division’s chairman Sham Mat Sahat and Bagan Serai MP Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali to the centre of the stage and got them to shake hands.

The deputy prime minister said there was talk that the duo was not on good terms and that this was certainly not good for the division, more so with the general election imminent.

“If we are always fighting, it is the people who will suffer and that is why I wanted to bring them back together today. Solidarity is paramount.

“What is important is that the people of Bagan Serai and Parit Buntar are represented by BN MPs and assemblypersons,” he said at the event held at Dataran Kerian Permai.

It is learnt that the fallout between Sham, who is also the assemblyman for Alor Pongsu, and Noor Azmi started after the last general election and later came out in the open.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also BN deputy chairman, added that if there was solidarity among the leaders in Perak, the state government under the leadership of Zambry would only become stronger under the BN umbrella. - Bernama