KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said while he welcomed differences of opinion among party members, he will not compromise on them questioning the party's integrity.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said this was because he placed great importance on party unity.

"I welcome differences of opinion, go ahead and air them but when (they) touch on party integrity, I will no more compromise on this, what is important is unity within the party.

"Having the same mindset, conscience among the leadership and taking consolidated efforts in the implementation of the party machinery must be prioritised. This may be difficult to understand, but not difficult for me to implement," he said when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV's Ruang Bicara programme last night.

Elaborating, Ahmad Zahid said there must never be hidden enemies within the party.

"The attacks do not only come from outside (the party), we do know who are our enemies out there, but we also know those who 'baling batu sembunyi tangan'," he said, referring to the Malay proverb that describes a person who doesn't want to be responsible for his actions or words.

"...but I do have to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this. As someone who has been entrusted to lead the largest party representing the Malays and Islam, do I want to see this situation fester?

"I have to strive further, and it's not because I am with hate, there is not even a molecule of hatred towards any individual, but the party must be saved," Ahmad Zahid said.

-- BERNAMA