Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today expressed his appreciation to all UMNO members, especially from the three party wings who have contributed significantly to the survival of the backbone of Barisan Nasional (BN) party.

The three wings - the Wanita movement led by Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil; the Youth led by Khairy Jamaluddin and Puteri led by Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin received a standing ovation from 2,643 delegates listening to Najib's presidential policy speech at Dewan Merdeka, the Putra World Trade Centre, here.

In order to appreciate the contribution of Wanita UMNO as the backbone of the party, the UMNO president announced a protection scheme to the Jalinan Rakyat machinery to protect them against any misfortune.

"Speaking about acknowledgement and respect towards the Wanita, I am deeply touched when listening to the stories of unsung women heroes of the Wanita UMNO who have sacrificed their soul for the sake of the party," Najib said.

He congratulated Shahrizat who has always been passionate in voicing out the hope and interests of Wanita as the backbone of UMNO.

Najib also paid tribute to Bandar Baru Selayang Wanita UMNO branch chief Saridah Ibrahim who was still eager to attend the assembly, despite her poor health.

Saridah who is also Bandar Baru Selayang Wanita UMNO branch Information chief was involved in a road accident while she was on her way home after campaigning for BN in the Kajang by-election in 2014.

"This is the real example of the spirit of Tun Fatimah, a woman warrior during the glory days of Melaka which should be ignited in all of our hearts, not only among the Wanita movement but also all the party members," he said.

Najib appreciated the efforts of Mas Ermieyati and 388,443 Puteri UMNO members who continued to work for the party and have shown unwavering loyalty to the UMNO leadership over the years.

He also applauded Semporna Puteri UMNO Division chief Zakiah Kalipunya, and Pagoh Puteri UMNO Division chief Rohaiza Ahmad who continued to be loyal to the party despite facing the internal crisis in their respective divisions involving Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Pagoh) and Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Semporna).

On the contribution of UMNO Youth movement, Najib expressed his appreciation to Khairy for his initiatives against the negative attitudes and behaviour of the Bersih rally participants.

By using the Arabic phrase 'JIL UMNO', Najib called on more than 600,000 UMNO Youth members as the future leaders of the party and the country to continue the struggle for the race and nation.

Najib said to ensure the success of the 2050 National Transformation (TN50), UMNO as the driving force of that initiative was spearheading this transformation was mobilising a 'mass movement' to establish the vision of the future heirs of the country.

"To Khairy as the Minister in charge of youth, this is the mandate that we gave to you as the Youth chief...act like the young battle commander Tariq bin Ziad in defending the struggles of UMNO, the race and religion," he said.

Najib also expressed his appreciation to his two vice presidents Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is currently carrying out the duties of deputy president and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

Currently, the 70-year-old party has about 3.5 million members.

The Kampung Batu Putih Darat UMNO branch (Sabah) recorded the highest number of members at the branch level with 2,371 members, while the Silam UMNO division (Sabah) registered the highest number of Umno members at the division level with 51,902 members while Sabah has the highest number of 561,617 members among the states.

-- BERNAMA