Wanita Umno exco member Rosni Zahari said she had looked into the claim made by Melaka Wanita Umno chief Haryaty Hamdzah in a statement yesterday and found that it was not true.

“As a veteran in Wanita Umno exco, I investigated the matter and the statement turned out to be false,” she said on Facebook.

Rosni said most of the members in Wanita Umno had raised concerns over the harmony and solidarity within the party, especially at a time when it was going through an upheaval.

“Wanita Umno wants stability to rebuild the party’s strength and regain the people’s trust.”

She called on the wing’s members to reflect on their journey and whether they wished to “move forward or take a step back”.

In a statement yesterday, Haryaty claimed that 147 Wanita Umno division leaders backed Shahrizat to return as Wanita Umno chief, adding that this was conveyed at a recent meeting.

Shahrizat, a former federal minister, led the women’s wing from 2008 until 2018, when Barisan Nasional fell from power. She has not been active in politics since then.

A source in the know had told FMT that several Wanita Umno division leaders had met Shahrizat to ask her to contest in the coming party elections as they felt the wing was now “weak and lethargic”.

Current Wanita Umno chief Noraini is expected to defend her post at the Umno elections, which will be held in stages from Feb 1 to March 18.