KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said Umno has bigger things to focus on than debate the return of its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi from leave.

The Umno vice-president said Zahid was the elected party president and there is nothing in the party constitution to bar the latter’s return.

"Umno members never felt that he had resigned. So he was on leave. In our minds, one day he will come back but we did not know when.

"Whether or not it’s the right time for him to come back well... any time is the right time for those who support him and any time is also not the right time for those who don’t want him to come back.

"It’s up to individual interpretation but as Umno, our duty is bigger than discussing whether or not he should return,” Ismail told reporters at the Parliament lobby here.

He said it was more critical for the Opposition party to be united if it were to regain power, especially when its political foe was having its own internal crisis, referring to PKR.