JOHOR BARU – Last night’s sackings and suspensions meted out to several high-profile Umno members perverted the principles of “natural justice” as they could not defend themselves, said vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He added that there were no show-cause letters issued and the affected members were not given the opportunity to answer the charges levelled against them.
In this, he said the party has failed to follow procedures before taking any disciplinary actions.
He also revealed that he opposed the punishments last night and that Umno’s disciplinary board only informed president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that it received reports against certain members.
“If those making accusations are not satisfied, the ones who are accused must be referred to the disciplinary board.
“If the board finds the accused guilty, recommendations must be made to the party’s management committee which will bring the matter to the Supreme Council.
“As a civilised party, Umno must be seen to be transparent before taking any action,” said the former prime minister in an Instagram post.
Last night, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin was given the boot from the party as part of an internal purge, ending weeks of speculation about his fate.
Another high-profile member, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who once served as party vice-president, was given a six-year suspension.
Six-year suspensions were also handed out to several other bigwigs, including former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, former Jempol MP Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif, and Tebrau division chief Datuk Maulizan Bujang.
Also, 42 Umno members were similarly expelled with immediate effect, of which five are from the Pasir Gudang division, nine from Putrajaya, two from Tg Karang, and 26 from Pahang.
Previously, Khairy, who lost the race for the Sg Buloh parliamentary seat in the federal polls, had called for Zahid’s resignation after Umno suffered its worst electoral performance since its formation, while accusing the party of losing its way and needing “internal cleansing”.
Hishammuddin, meanwhile, is said to have led a separate faction against Zahid within Umno, and was one of 10 Barisan Nasional MPs who previously declared support for Perikatan Nasional chief Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister following the conclusion of the general election. – The Vibes, January 28, 2023
