KOTA KINABALU, July 1 — The quarreling among Umno leaders should be stopped immediately, as it could lead to a loss of public confidence, says Barisan Nasional (BN) treasurer-general Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Instead, he said everyone in Umno should focus on closing ranks to bring stability ahead of the 15th General Election (GE15).

The Sembrong Division Umno chief said all party leaders who held positions either in the government or the party's Supreme Council should carry out their responsibilities sincerely.

"We will face a general election, the people will determine our position as a government and we (Umno) will also face a party election, and party members will determine the position of the party's top leadership," he said.

The Senior Defence Minister said this during a press conference after officiating the Kota Kinabalu Naval Air Station and the setting up of Squadron 503, besides witnessing the handing over of new maritime operations helicopters at the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) Base here today.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said rifts in the party leadership did not only occur in Umno or BN, as other political parties also faced a similar situation.

However, he was confident that Umno would handle the matter well based on similar situations faced by the party previously, which had seen greater clashes among its leaders.

"But, it (the clashes in the past) did not affect Umno as a party that the people can count on," he said. — Bernama