He said Umno leaders were attacked relentlessly from all sides before and after the last general election (GE14), with its enemies refusing to stop.
“Some enemies are obvious, while others are in cloaks and continuously go after the party with their harsh criticisms. They know that Umno, being the largest Malay party, is the only defender of the race and its religion.
“They know we are capable of rising again to become the force we once were. Eventually, they will fail because of the grit shown by the leaders and members,” Zahid said in a Facebook post to inform members of the latest goings-on in the party.
After realising that Umno cannot be destroyed, Zahid said certain groups were now trying to control the party in the name of uniting the ummah (Malay-Muslim community) by using “brokers”.
“But unity should be based on sincerity. It should not be with the intention of continuing to stay in power or controlling any other party.
“If they succeed in controlling us, the Umno brand will be misused by them. And millions of members will be ‘remotely’ controlled by this group if our leaders lose control of the party.
“They will not care even if the welfare of the people is ignored and democracy is destroyed in the process.”
Zahid said the party belonged to the people and its three million members, adding that Umno is also part of the Barisan Nasional coalition, representing all races.
Zahid may have been referring to a faction of leaders in Umno who have been labelled as being in the “ministers cluster”. This comprises Umno ministers in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s cabinet.
This group is seen as wanting Umno to continue its ties with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in GE15 while the rest are not in favour.
Recently, Perlis Umno chief Shahidan Kassim had said Umno in his state would continue to work with PN in GE15.
This came just days after PPBM confirmed that Zahid had sent a letter to Muhyiddin informing the prime minister that Umno would not cooperate with his party in GE15.
Referring to another group in Umno called the “court cluster”, comprising leaders facing corruption charges, Zahid said these leaders are the ones who had saved the party by refusing to “sell” the party to those wanting to take control.
“Umno members facing court charges are the ones brave and loyal to the party’s cause and are willing to face any challenges ahead.
“If you want to know a way of saving yourself, just look at the ‘frogs’ across the road who appear very comfortable,” he said in an apparent reference to the “ministers cluster”.
“They are like woodpeckers being fed bird feed,” said the Bagan Datuk MP.
Besides Zahid, other Umno bigwigs facing trial are Najib Razak, Ahmad Maslan, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Azeez Abdul Rahim and Bung Moktar Radin.