UMNO Youth members at all levels must be man enough to defend the party's leadership and the Barisan Nasional (BN) Government which are continuously facing false accusations from the opposition, says UMNO Supreme Council member, Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.

He said being manly did not mean being rough and rude but instead, they should be vocal in defending the leaders and party's dignity and image.

"UMNO Youth members cannot just remain silent when the party's president or his deputy are deluged with slander or being humiliated by the opposition. They should come forward to protect the party and leadership.

"Instead, these days we see the youths keeping silent and doing nothing when the leaders or party are being humiliated by the opposition. Why is this happening?," he asked.

Tajuddin, who is also agriculture and agro-based industry deputy minister was speaking to reporters after officiating the Bagan Datuk UMNO Youth delegates' meeting at Wisma UMNO here today.

According to Tajuddin, UMNO Youth should act with courage as the party's front line, in defending the party's dignity and dismissing the opposition's attempts to topple the government and party.

As such, he said UMNO Youth members must work hard to ensure that BN continued to garner support from the people and win a bigger majority in the 14th General Election.

-- BERNAMA