KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said he agrees with Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki’s assertion that the party can recover its reputation provided there is no internal dispute among its leaders.

The Umno president conceded that some party members have instead made the situation a lot worse, citing the Malay idiom "ibarat tikus membaiki labu” — which refers to someone ignorant trying to fix a thing and resulting in the thing becoming more damaged.

"The statement by the Umno secretary-general is correct because, since 2018, we have witnessed various internal characters ‘ibarat tikus membaiki labu’,” he said when met by reporters after the launch of MyNext and the exchange of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) here.

He said therefore Umno's training and Cadre Development Council is introducing innovative training methods to instill not only a sense of spirit but also teamwork among the party's leadership and members.

He said while he respects the difference in opinion, it is important not to condemn the party internally and cause damage in the process.

"We acknowledge differences of opinion but all should avoid condemning the party from within and causing harm.

"We welcome the involvement of young people to the party, whether Puteri or Pemuda, to contribute and join us,” he said.

He further emphasised that there is no issue in terms of recruiting new and young members to the party.

Earlier today, it was reported that Asyraf Wajdi said due to the weakening of the party particularly before and after the 15th General Election (GE15), Umno will undergo a recovery process to strengthen the party, aiming to continue championing the interests of the Malay community and advancing the Islamic agenda in the country.

Asyraf Wajdi was reported to have stated that the recovery process could be successful with the condition that it is carried out collaboratively by all leaders within the party without any internal conflicts.