Umno would reinstate Khairy Jamaluddin, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, and other sacked or suspended members if they show their commitment to the party, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was a clear example of this, adding that the former Pasir Salak MP continued to turn up for party events and campaigns despite being suspended.
“If other affected members take the same steps as Tajuddin, I don’t see why the Umno Supreme Council would reject them,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
Khairy, former Tanjong Karang MP Tan Sri Noh Omar, and Isham Jalil were among those purged from Umno following the party’s internal election last year.
Sembrong MP Hishammuddin, former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, and several others were suspended for breaching party rules.
Khairy and Shahril went on to start a popular podcast, Keluar Sekejap, that allowed them to remain in public attention, while Hishammuddin has largely retreated from active politics.
Tajuddin, who was suspended in 2022 for criticising Zahid’s leadership, was reinstated this week and held up as a paragon of unwavering loyalty to the party.
Source : Malay Mail
I’ll return if Umno commits to becoming better, says KJ
Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin says he is willing to return to the party if it commits to becoming a “better Umno”.
He welcomed a recent comment by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the party would accept sacked or suspended members if they proved their commitment to Umno.
However, he said: “If I am to return just to become a ‘Yes’ man… I don’t think so.”
Speaking in his Keluar Sekejap podcast today, he said: “if (Umno) can accept me as someone who is still loyal to the party but has his own ideals, if I can be accepted for (that), then this is something I think we can talk about.”
However, his possible return should not be seen “as a way for me to re-enter politics so I can get positions”, said Khairy, a former minister of health and minister of youth and sports.
Khairy said that he had received offers from numerous parties to join them, but had turned them down.
“If at all I return to Umno one day, I want to see an Umno that has changed for the better and is more relevant, an Umno that is fresher and has more integrity. I think I cannot sacrifice that,” he said.
Khairy, who did not state whether he had appealed to be reinstated as a member, also said that he would abide by Umno’s disciplinary regulations if allowed back to the party.
In January 2023, the Umno Supreme Council sacked Khairy and Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar and suspended key leaders such as former vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein for breaching party discipline during the general election in November 2022.
Last Sunday, Zahid said Umno is open to welcoming back sacked or suspended members if they prove their determination to return to the party. He cited the example of former Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, whose six-year suspension was lifted last Monday.
Zahid noted that Tajuddin had sent four appeal letters to have his membership reinstated, supported the party at the Nenggiri and Mahkota by-elections, and attended the recent Umno general assembly.
“If other affected members take the same steps as Tajuddin, I don’t see why the Umno Supreme Council would reject them,” he said when asked if the party is ready to take Khairy and Hishammuddin back.
Source : FMT
I’m proof Umno doesn’t just have yes-men, Akmal tells KJ
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has welcomed the willingness of his former party colleague Khairy Jamaluddin to return to Umno, and believes the party has room for the ex-minister and his ideals.
Akmal, who has courted controversy for his outspoken barbs, particularly against DAP, said his presence in Umno was proof that the party was not solely composed of yes-men but welcomed differing opinions.
He added that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had always welcomed any proposal or opinion conveyed by party leaders.
“I am proof that being in Umno doesn’t necessarily mean that one is a yes-man. Although I hold certain views that contradict the party president’s, he has never once asked me to stop airing my views,” he told FMT.
Khairy, who was sacked from Umno last January for breaching party discipline during the 2022 general election, had said he was willing to return to Umno if the party committed to changing for the better.
However, he said he would not return if it meant he had to become a yes-man. He said Umno would need to accept him as someone who remained loyal to the party but had his own ideals.
He was responding to Zahid, who said Umno was open to welcoming sacked or suspended members if they proved their determination to return to the party.
Zahid cited the lifting of Tajuddin Abdul Rahman’s six-year suspension from Umno, saying the former Pasir Salak MP had sent four appeal letters to be reinstated as a member.
Akmal said Zahid’s willingness to welcome former leaders like Khairy back into the fold reflected his magnanimity as Umno president.
Separately, Umno veterans club chairman Othman Desa said Khairy should not allow personal issues with the leadership to keep him from rejoining the party if he truly loved it.
“Anwar Ibrahim was in enmity with Umno for 25 years, but that’s no longer the case. All the more for someone who says Umno is still close to his heart despite being sacked. So I bid him welcome in advance.”
The Coverage Malaysia
