KUALA LUMPUR: With former Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the receiving end of criticism from fellow party members, his predecessor has once again come to his defence.
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today defended Najib after Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa referred to the Pekan MP as 'baggage'.
He said, under Umno's Constitution, until a person is found guilty, his or her position in the party as an elected leader would be maintained.
The former deputy prime minister also said the courts have not made a decision yet on the charges against Najib.
"Meaning, he (Najib) is still the division chief and member of parliament for Pekan," Ahmad Zahid said when asked to comment on a statement made by Annuar who had remarked that Umno could no longer waste time defending Najib.
Annuar was reported to have said: “We in Umno cannot carry this baggage forever. There must be a cut-off. It is entirely his (Najib’s) responsibility. We must continue this journey. We are not going to wait. We are not going to waste our time defending Najib."
Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, here, Ahmad Zahid said he was of the opinion that all previous leaders of Umno should be given due respect.
"Because those who are here today, will not be here without the leaders before them.
"The old loves the new and the new ones must show respect to the old."
Touching on leaders disagreeing with one another or having differences of opinion, Ahmad Zahid said this should be handled internally instead.
"We should not use the media or issue an open letter, especially when one is holding a high position in the party and this will be seen as an official statement."
Therefore, he said it was best for all parties to work together to rectify issues, instead of making comments and inviting all kinds of interpretation to be made against the party.
Asked if the party would taken action against Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani and Annuar, he added Umno did not take such an approach and would rather hold discussions.
Yesterday, Titiwangsa Umno division chief Johari had asked if it was the right strategy for the party to have Najib taking centrestage in the Sungai Kandis by-election campaign.
"I hope Datuk Seri Najib does not feel hurt or upset with all these recent comments. We understand his situation and the pressure he is currently facing and I express my sympathies," Ahmad Zahid said.
Following Johari's remarks yesterday, Ahmad Zahid responded by saying that Najib's presence during the Sungai Kandis by-election campaign was at the invitation of Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate Datuk Lokman Noor Adam.
“I checked. The candidate himself (Lokman) had arranged for Najib’s attendance. The candidate meant well.
“If someone was wealthy before and now poor, or if they had power before and now they are powerless, we should still respect them.
“In such situations, even if we have differences in opinions, there are proper ways to handle them.
“Don’t kick a man when he’s down,” Ahmad Zahid had said yesterday.