Ahmad Tajuddin first UMNO division head to urge Ahmad Zahid to step down

In a statement on Friday, the former State Assemblyman for Lepar said Ahmad Zahid should relinquish his position for the sake of the Malays, UMNO, loyalty and the determination of 3.6 million party members.

He stressed that Ahmad Zahid’s resignation is necessary as the crisis of UMNO's top leadership, especially the members of the Supreme Working Council (MKT) and Members of Parliament have dragged on without any solution.

He said the actions of the Supreme Council members and the UMNO MPs that were no longer in unison have exposed the loss of confidence of the Malays, which is crucial to face the 15th General Election.

“The unclear direction and the weak determination in the actions have weakened the fighting spirit and determination of 3.6 million UMNO members.

“The direct effect of the prosecution of misconduct on the UMNO leadership carries the heavy burden of UMNO's resurgence," he added.

Ahmad Tajuddin claimed that UMNO members could not see clearly the justification for supporting a leader who was fired by the MKT members.

Apart from that, he said, the rejection of cooperation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) by the divisions clearly showed the grassroots firmness on the Bersatu government leadership.

Recently, the media reported the Federal Territory UMNO Youth Chief, Mohamed Nizham Abdullah Hamidi as saying, UMNO needs to be reformed and then highlight leaders who are not only accepted by members but also the people.

At the same time, he said, UMNO needs to hold elections this year so as to ensure the temperature of dissatisfaction against the leaders would subside.