Umno members should regard the need for them to defend Putrajaya as a “jihad” (holy war) towards maintaining a federal government that fights for religion, race and country, said Umno supreme council member Shahidan Kassim.

He said as the government's frontliners, Putrajaya Umno should fight in all aspects to ensure the parliamentary seat remained under BN in the coming general election.

“Here, high hope is placed on Umno, as the frontliners, to defend Putrajaya, as a symbol for the present government to be maintained.

“As frontliners, your huge sacrifice is demanded and because of that, the fight to defend Putrajaya in a jihad much needed by the party,” he said when opening the Putrajaya Umno delegates conference last night.

Also present was Putrajaya Umno leader Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who is also Umno secretary-general.

Shahidan, who is also minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the fight to defend Putrajaya should not be something difficult if voters in the constituency, who are mostly civil servants, appreciated the ruling government.

"We have to remember, the government never questioned which party they (civil servants) support when they were accepted for employment and because of that, we should also be grateful,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tengku Adnan, in his speech, called on Umno members to not be part of the "copy and paste" propaganda disseminated by the rival parties.

-- Bernama