Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today urged all UMNO members at the grassroots level to reject any former Umno leaders who want to destroy the party to fulfil their political ambitions.

Ahmad Zahid, who is performing the duties of Umno Deputy President, said, on the other hand, more than three million must rise to defend the party at the branch, division and federal levels and were loyal to the leaders who were picked to head the party.

In his speech which was full of innuendoes when opening the Temerloh Umno Division Delegates Meeting here today, Ahmad Zahid likened Umno to a house of glass whose former owner wanted to demolish and destroy it.

"Some proclaim that Umno is too old and Umno is akin to a glass house whose glass itself is already blurry..Indeed, it is true we are old, but our pillars are still firm because of the support and backing of the UMNO members.

"But now a problem has cropped up because stones are hurled at our glass house, it was from within in the past, but now when on the outside, he picks up bigger stones (to throw) so that the walls and windows break and threw spears to damage the floors of the house," he said.

As such, he said as party members who are occupying the glass house, they should rise to defend the house from being destroyed by the former owner who was disgruntled with the leadership of the new owner of the house, which is now spearheaded by Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"In this environment, we as warriors should not stand at the back, but on the left and right side, in front and behind the leader and fight anybody attacking with spears.

"This is what I am trying to do now, in an environment where our leader (Najib) is incessantly attacked and thrown excrement at ... we can only afford to offer sympathy..I cannot bear to see excrement thrown at my leader every time and threatened with the spear and kris when up close.

"On the other hand, I will seize the spear and kris and throw them back at the perpetrators because my loyalty is to the leader and the party especially to the president of the party," he said.

According to Ahmad Zahid, as the new owner of the house, Najib had carried out numerous efforts in the best possible manner to repair Umno, the glass house, and it was apt that he be assisted by the other party members to ensure the house continued to be strong for occupation.

Ahmad Zahid, without mentioning any names, also cynically and sarcastically chastised the old owner of the house for turning the Umno glass house into a hotel when he often entered and left when something he was not happy about cropped up.

"Rightly, as a former house owner, we should get together to carry out repairs if the house is damaged and something is not right, give advice so respect for him is maintained, and not become a grandfather who caned his grandchild repeatedly when the latter makes a mistake," he said.

According to Ahmad Zahid, as a member of Umno, he himself had faced a myriad of tests, but he was still loyal to the party which all these while had done a lot to look after the welfare of the Malays in the country. - BERNAMA