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PETALING JAYA: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has suggested that any party member who appears to drift toward opposition parties should face disciplinary action, including dismissal from the party.
Speaking to Astro Awani, he said that disciplinary action should also be taken against party leaders, if it were true that there were among them those who were aligned with the opposition.
He said he agreed with the concerns of the rank and file, who have said that this behavior has made it appear that concerned party leaders do not respect Umno’s struggles.
His comments stem from speculation that Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former Prime Minister Najib Razak were among the MPs who declared their support for PKR President Anwar Ibrahim to become the next prime minister.
Anwar claims to have the support of the majority of MPs in forming a new government and has presented his case to Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Speculation about Zahid and Najib’s support for Anwar arose after the circulation of a letter that allegedly showed that they and several Umno MPs were withdrawing their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Umno said the letter was fake.
Zahid had previously said that he had been informed that many MPs from Umno were starting to support Anwar, and he couldn’t help himself to do so.
Tengku Razaleigh, better known as Ku Li, said it was inappropriate for members to prioritize the interests of the opposition, especially Pakatan Harapan, as Umno has consistently been against them.
However, he said it was up to other party members to remind the Umno leaders to return to their original cause.
“Why should we prioritize or support the leaders of the opposition party?” he said, adding that disciplinary action can be taken against anyone, including senior leaders of Umno.
