The principle of Wala' (fidelity) and loyalty to leaders and the UMNO leadership institution will be among the important factors that can decide victory for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming 14th General Election.

The call on the importance of the principle by the Prime Minister and UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today was the second time he had said it in his policy speech at the UMNO General Assembly, after making the same call last year, and began to leave an impact on the party members.

Moreover, the country is on the verge of the general election, whereby the people will make their choice between the BN government, led by UMNO that champions the cause of the Malays, Islam as well as other races and the party that is led by DAP which has been figthing for extreme liberalism and secularism.

The policy speech that has fired up the spirit of 2,643 delegates from 191 UMNO divisions, making them to be more united to face the opposition and defend the Malay party.

UMNO Supreme Council member who is also Kelantan UMNO Religious Bureau chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki defined the principle of wala' that is mentioned in the Al-Quran and the Islamic teachings as the loyalty that is not given blindly.

"We obey a leader because of the leadership institution, and loyalty to the leader (should be given) as long as he does not command us to disobey Allah, this is the most important basis," he told Bernama here.

An observer from the UMNO Tangga Batu Division, Melaka Datuk Dr Aziz Ujang said the country would be destroyed due to disintegration if party members failed to express their wala' and loyalty to leaders and the country.

"In other countries, where the people consists of only one to two races, disputes still occur...not to mention our country (which has multiple races) and coupled with outsiders' intervention with their own agendas," he said.

A political analyst, Associate Professor Mohd Izani Mohd Zain, from the Faculty of Human Ecology of Universiti Putra Malaysia, opined that the emphasis on the importance of the principle of wala' was made due to the challenges being faced by the party not only from the opposition but also its former leaders.

"Without the principle of wala', unification among the party members will not be achieved...however, the loyalty that has been given must be paid back by the leaders by listening to the voice of the grassroots and the pulse of the people," he said. - BERNAMA