KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — The Barisan Nasional secretariat has suspended its chief media officer for a month for releasing what it claimed to be an unapproved and inaccurate press statement in the name of BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

BN executive secretary Datuk Mohamad Sahfri Ab Aziz, in a statement here today, said the decision was taken after hearing the views of an internal investigation committee that was set up this morning to discuss the matter.

"We discussed the BN chairman’s media release on the decisions made at the BN Supreme Council meeting, which has been deemed inaccurate and released without approval by the party secretariat.

He said Ahmad Zahid, who is Umno president, had also strictly pointed out that the confusion over the statement was due to errors made by an officer in the BN secretariat.

Mohamad Sahfri said the media officer’s suspension was also to ensure the internal investigation could be carried out in a more detailed and effective manner.

The media statement issued yesterday had touched on BN’s appeal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for Parliament session to be called immediately. — Bernama