This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 10, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: Wanita Umno head Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has urged the wing to support president Datuk Seri Najib Razak against his critics from “within and outside” the party.

Shahrizat’s plea comes in the wake of the latest round of criticism by the party’s deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and vice president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal of Najib’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) state investment fund and the sum of RM2.6 billion in Najib’s personal accounts that is said to be a political donation.

“We need to back our president so that opposition, be it within or outside the party, does not weaken him,” she said in her speech during the Wanita Umno assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning. She urged the wing to follow the “party tradition” of backing its president. “We support our leaders. Only then we can come out of this crisis and achieve success that we can be proud of,” she said.

Apart from external criticism, Najib has faced flak from several Umno leaders. On Monday, Muhyiddin urged him to take a “rest” while investigations into the 1MDB issue and the RM2.6 billion political donation were being conducted.

Shafie Apdal also criticised Najib’s handling of 1MDB’s affairs, while former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has openly called for Najib’s resignation. — The Malaysian Insider