Opening the general assembly of the women’s wing here today, Noraini said Umno members needed to support the existing leadership to strengthen the party and regain the confidence of voters.

“Therefore, it would be best that the president and deputy president’s posts are not contested,” she said.

“Give them the room and support to strengthen and revive Umno, for the sake of the party’s political survival and (the sake of) the country.”

Noraini said Umno should not make any compromises in conducting a “total clean-up” of the party. This should be among the key steps for it to move forward following its devastating losses in the recent general election (GE15).

“Yesterday, the president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) and deputy president (Mohamad Hasan) said our defeat was caused by external and internal factors.

“Externally, we lost due to the perceptions played up (by opposing parties in GE15). Internally, we lost because some of us would not stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” she said.

She said Umno needed to be more visible and prominent on social media, and also urged the party to set up a women’s leadership academy to produce more women leaders.

Yesterday, Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said Zahid vowed to clean up the party to rid it of elements that could hinder its new direction.

Puad said Zahid used his special briefing to divisional leaders to assure them that he would rid the party of those who “hurl stones and hide their hands”.