Umno's Padang Rengas MP Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has likened to cannibalism, Umno Youth's calls for party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to go on leave.

Nazri said the call from within for Zahid to go on leave after being slapped with graft charges was a case of "eating one another".

"I don't understand Umno Youth. When our president is charged, they are quick (to pass judgment). It's like cannibalism, eating one another.

"In contrast, if we look at Pakatan Harapan in the past, there was no such thing," he told journalists at Parliament today.

Umno has a policy under which senior leaders must go on leave if they are charged in court.

Based on this premise, Umno Youth had urged Zahid to consider taking a break until his name was cleared.

However, Zahid's supporters argued that the rule was for when Umno was still in the government and now no longer applied as it was an opposition party.

In contrast with Harapan

Elaborating, Nazri said what happened in Umno was in contrast to the conduct in Pakatan Harapan. 

"If we see in Harapan, or DAP, there were no issues. 

"When Lim Guan Eng, as the Penang chief minister and DAP secretary-general, was charged in court for graft, no one asked him to step down. The same goes to Anwar Ibrahim - he is still PKR, and Harapan leader. 

"This is the loyalty shown by the then opposition, no matter what befell their leaders, the members stayed loyal to them," he said. 

Personally, Nazri said, he does not think Zahid (in photo) should go on leave, as the latter is no longer a civil servant. 

"Since he's no longer a civil servant, there's no need for him to take leave or resign.

"He is holding a position elected by delegates, so it is the grassroots which should make the call on whether or not he should step down."

Nazri added that he does not have any form of advice for Uno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who made the "take leave" call. 

"I think that is his style [...] in Umno, we allow freedom of speech, (so) if he wants to say that, it is up to him.

"After all, the ultimate decision (on the matter) lies with the Umno supreme council member," he said.