KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will heal and become strong again if leaders and members put the party first and personal feelings aside.

Vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said if party members heeded the advice of the party president, they would put aside differences among them for the sake of the party.

“That is why I can sit next to (vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd) Shafie (Apdal) while (deputy president Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Yassin can join us in the general assembly.

“They may not agree with us, but they’ve put the party above their personal feelings,” he said in an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times here yesterday.

He said the Umno general assembly was more than just a platform for members to speak out; it was also a gathering to unite and strengthen the party.

He said Umno members must always remember the sacrifices made by previous leaders, including its founder Datuk Onn Jaafar, to ensure that the party would not collapse.

Asked whether he and his fellow vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would help mend the relationship among the leaders, Hishammuddin said both of them had already done their part.

He said Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also acted as a true statesman when he was willing to give priority to the bigger agenda, instead of dwelling on matters that hurt his feelings.

He said since there are those who have already made personal attacks against Najib, it was only appropriate for the party president to answer the allegations in his presidential briefing and policy speech.

Hishammuddin, who is Defence Minister, also said Umno leaders should focus on bigger issues, including safeguarding Islam and solving problems such as urban poverty and the increasing cost of living.

He also refuted claims that speakers at the general assembly were not allowed to raise certain issues, saying that they could highlight whatever they thought could help the party and the people.-nst