Three Umno members sacked for campaigning against party during GE15, says Puad

KUALA LUMPUR: An Umno division chief and two Wanita Umno division chiefs from Perlis and Pahang were sacked for campaigning against the party during the recent 15th General Election (GE15).

Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the trio were said to have also smeared the party when campaigning against the party.

Although not giving further details, it is believed that the division chief and his female counterpart were from the Maran division while the other Wanita Umno chief was from the Arau division.

On Nov 13, Umno temporarily suspended the Arau and Maran Wanita Umno division chiefs for supporting opposing candidates contesting in the general election.

Party secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was reported to have said it was suspending the party posts and branch-level posts of Arau Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shamsiah Yasin and Maran Wanita Umno chief Datin Seri Fatimah Kassim.

Umno had previously sacked Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, former Padang Besar MP Datuk Seri Zahidi Zainul Abidin and former Maran MP Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib for contesting against Umno in the election.

Puad also said that Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is serious in clamping down against errant members.

“The president will be firm on disciplinary issues, particularly against those who smear the party and leak information on decisions taken by the party’s supreme council,” he told reporters after attending a supreme council meeting at Menara Dato Onn on Thursday night (Dec 8).

Umno held its first back-to-back political bureau and supreme council meetings after GE15.

Several supreme council members were seen arriving for the meetings including the Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, and Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.

Also present was Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin

Two other party vice-presidents, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, were absent.

When met after the meeting, Mohamed Khaled confirmed that both vice-presidents did not attend the meeting.

“Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri apologised for not attending the meeting as he had to attend an engagement elsewhere,” he said.

Several Umno leaders meanwhile said they were in the dark as to the presence of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor at Menara Dato Onn.

The wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was spotted arriving shortly before 8pm accompanied by a female aide.

She walked briskly to the cordoned off lift area and was heard telling the media not to take her photograph.