ALOR STAR: PKR Pasir Gudang member of parliament Hassan Karim's call for Umno to oust its president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was made with an ill intention to cause turmoil within the party.
Pokok Sena Umno Youth chief Mohd Farhan Ahmad lamented that the remarks by Hassan were both unfounded and irresponsible.
He argued that Zahid, being the democratically elected Umno president, holds the support and mandate of the majority of the party's members.
"Hassan's statement that Umno needs to replace its leader is baseless and irresponsible. It is an attempt to undermine the unity and stability of the party and to create confusion and division among the members.
"He should respect the party's constitution whereby Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi was chosen by Umno members democratically," he told the New Straits Times today.
Yesterday, news portal Free Malaysia Today reported Hassan as calling for Umno to replace Zahid as it cannot afford to ride on Pakatan Harapan's "fragile" coat-tails in the next general election.
Hassan had said Umno needed a fresh leader with integrity and charisma to help Umno regain the support of the Malays, which is the key factor in Barisan Nasional's (BN) dismal performance at recent elections.
Given the current situation, it would be tough for Umno to regain the support of the Malay voters for as long as Zahid remained as its president, he was reported as saying.
It is believed that Hassan made the remarks in response to Zahid's recent hint that the cooperation between BN and PH would continue beyond the 16th general election.
Meanwhile, Farhan stressed that Umno is not a party that changes its leader at the whim of a few individuals.
Umno is a party that upholds the principles of democracy, loyalty and solidarity, he said.
"Instead of pointing fingers, Hassan should better suggest that PH ministers who are not functioning and hated by the Malays be replaced.
"What is the function of other party presidents? Are they successful in contributing many seats to the unity government?" he added.
Commenting further, he questioned the effectiveness of PH ministers in garnering Malay or voter's support for the current government.
"As a veteran leader, it would be better for Hassan to write a letter to (prime minister and PKR president) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to express his pent-up feelings.
"It is better for the sake of maintaining the mixed government that involves many parties in the history of the country's politics," he added.