KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — The Sembrong Umno division sought an explanation today from the party’s supreme council for its leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s six-year suspension.

Datuk Abd Ghani Abd Rashid, who is the Sembrong Umno deputy chief, said members of the division made this request after learning there were no disciplinary proceedings prior to the suspension.

"Sembrong Umno is of the view that the punishment given by the supreme council is very severe because this six-year suspension makes it seem like Hishammuddin was indeed someone who wanted to betray the party, wanted to destroy, yet we see nothing of this sort,” Abd Ghani said in a press conference today.

"What’s more, I was told these considerations were made without due process. There was no show-cause, no hearing by the disciplinary board, and the punishment given did not take into account his (Hishammuddin’s) sacrifices and loyalty at various levels.”

He said these reasons had motivated the division members to seek an unambiguous explanation from the party leadership for the reasons behind the "harsh” punishment.

During an earlier meeting held following Hishammuddin’s suspension, Abd Ghani said all of the division’s members expressed shock and disappointment over the punishment.

He maintained that there had been no indications that Hishammuddin had been disloyal to the party or was hampering it in any way over the two decades they had been building up the division.

"That is why Sembrong Umno members are very shocked and taken aback by this punishment given by the supreme council to him,” Abd Ghani added.

However, he said the division would Hishammuddin’s advice for them to continue with normal operations during his suspension.

Abd Ghani also reiterated the division’s continued loyalty to the party, which Hishammuddin also advised following his suspension.

"This reflects the purity of our former chief, his loyalty to the party and that is why they should not just suspend him at their whim and fancy,” he added, indicating that the Sembrong Umno leaders will reach out to other members to offer an explanation of the situation to prevent disunity among the division.

On Friday, the Umno supreme council decided announced a purge of apparent malcontents in the party with 44 expulsions and four suspensions.

Among the 44 sacked were former Umno presidential candidate Khairy Jamaluddin and former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar, while Hishammuddin and former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan were those given a six-year suspension.

Hishammuddin was reportedly suspended for being the main driver behind the Barisan Nasional MPs signing statutory declarations (SD) backing Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to be the prime minister during the deadlock after the 15th general election.