PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has warned Wanita Umno against causing a split within the movement and the use of money politics in the contest for the wing's top post in March.

The party president and Prime Minister also expressed hope that the democratic process would not cause tension and squabbles among movement members.

'I was hoping to come back (from an overseas trip) and have a chat with (Tan Sri) Rafidah (Aziz) and (Datuk Seri) Shahrizat (Jalil), and see what can be done.

'But now, it seems they both want to contest. One wants to challenge the other and I hope this is for the best of the movement.

'My warning is this ' make sure the contest will not split the party, conduct it in a healthy manner and there should be no money politics involved,' he told reporters after a ground-breaking ceremony for the National Defence Studies Centre yesterday.

The battle stage is set for the Wanita Umno presidency with Shahrizat, the Wanita Umno deputy president declaring that she would take on her long-serving boss, Rafidah.

The 65-year-old incumbent has received 118 nominations to contest the movement's top post while 55-year-old Shahrizat received 72 nominations.

'I hope everything will be all right. It is better if there is no contest, not that a contest is bad. There are advantages but what is important is to ensure it (contest) will not break them apart.'

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hoped that the impending fight for the Wanita wing's top post would not divide the movement.

'The contest shows the maturity of Umno's democracy,' he said in Lima yesterday.

'However, I hope the contest will not cause a split within the movement which is the backbone of the party. They must quickly reunite after the contest so that they can help strengthen the party,' Najib told Malaysian journalists in the Peruvian capital covering the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit meeting.

Party vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also attending the Apec meeting as International Trade and Industry Minister, urged the women not to cause a split in their contest.