Ahmad Zahid: Umno should be open to criticism from BN components

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Umno, as the main pillar of Barisan Nasional (BN), should be open to criticism from component party leaders.

He said criticism was part of the maturing process in politics, but the best channel would be discussions behind closed doors and not through the media.

“Doing it through the media would provide the best ammunition for the opposition to threaten BN’s position,” he told reporters after visiting the Bagan Pasir Laut fishing village, here, today.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Bagan Datoh Member of Parliament, also said that BN component party leaders should also focus on getting as much feedback from the grassroots to gauge public support for BN.

“They should start working hard from now instead of waiting until near the next general election.

“The people now are smart in judging elected representatives and BN leaders by their willingness and frequency of going to the ground to attend to their problems.”

He said public support would be affected if the party leaders failed to provide services to the grassroots.

“We need to put the people first as suggested by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid, however, regretted that many BN component party members had yet to register as voters, and as such the party leaders needed to do more to create awareness on the importance of voting. — Bernama