KUALA LUMPUR – Suspended Putrajaya Umno deputy chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz is challenging party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to reinforce his denial of conspiring with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by swearing on the Quran.
Specifically, he wants Zahid, who is also former deputy prime minister, to swear on the holy book to deny his involvement in the recently leaked audio implicating him and Anwar, as well as a letter leaked last year in support of the PKR president and opposition leader to take over the federal government.
In a press conference shortly after Friday prayers at Surau Ar-Rahman in PWTC here, Tun Faisal said he is making the call in a bid to settle the unrest and uncertainty within Umno and its relationship with parties in the Perikatan Nasional fold.
“I have been charged and punished by the Umno disciplinary board on the account of slandering the party president with regard to the support letter for Anwar.
“I have also been charged and punished for apparently criticising the party president openly after the support letter was exposed,” he said.
“However, I am able to substantiate my claims with proof, as well as witnesses who can attest to the authenticity of the letter if the party’s disciplinary board calls them to testify,” he said.
Tun Faisal’s reaction comes after he was suspended from the party for six years, or two cycles of the Umno Supreme Council elections, on March 28 during the Umno general assembly.
He had been issued a show-cause letter by the party last month for openly criticising the Umno president.
Tun Faisal, who is also press secretary to Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, said his boss is among the individuals willing to testify before the disciplinary board.
He said the board is at liberty to call Anwar, parties who have received Zahid’s support letter, Istana Negara officials and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Others who can be called include four Umno ministers who he said were shown the letter by Muhyiddin – Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad, as well as PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Despite Umno’s disciplinary board failing to take such actions, it was also unable to debunk the support letter for Anwar as being fake, Tun Faisal said, pointing out that he was still punished nevertheless by the suspension.
“If Zahid dares to take an oath, at least the Umno grassroots will believe that he is speaking the truth when denying the support letter to Anwar, as well as the recent audio recording.
“Should he fail to do so, trust among party members will certainly diminish as they will assume that he has been lying about it, despite his constant denials to the media,” Tun Faisal said.
On his suspension, he said he has submitted an appeal to Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, and is still waiting for the Supreme Council to make a final decision on the matter.
“Despite that, I have proven that there are several conflicts of interests in the decision-making process by the party’s disciplinary board over my case,” he said.
Tun Faisal said those who filed the case against him, Putrajaya Umno division chief Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as well as Zahid, were also among the Supreme Council members who decided on his suspension, which amounts to a conflict of interest.
“They should have recused themselves and allowed the rest of the Supreme Council to make a decision without any undue duress.”
He called on Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Ahmad Maslan to nullify the suspension decision. – The Vibes, April 16, 2021
