KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sidestepped questions today about possible action against removed supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman who publicly cricitised him and the party yesterday.
Instead, Zahid said such matters came under the authority of the party’s disciplinary board, on whose recommendation the Umno supreme council would then act.
"I also respect the party's constitution, where there is a disciplinary board.
“If the disciplinary board receives a report or request for any investigation for an action to be taken, then any recommendations by the disciplinary board will be considered and decided by the supreme council," he told reporters when met at the court complex here after his trial's proceedings.
Asked about Tajuddin's claim yesterday that Zahid himself had started a movement by Umno MPs in 2021 to sign statutory declarations to support PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, he pointed out that the former no longer sat in Umno's supreme council and was only an appointed supreme council member.
Zahid also highlighted that he has the discretion as Umno president to decide on membership in the Umno supreme council, which is the party's highest leadership body.
"I respect whatever statements that are made, but the main thing is that he is no longer a supreme council member," he said.
"He was appointed as a supreme council member on appeal, as he lost as Umno vice-president, therefore his appointment was according to articles in Umno's constitution that gives the Umno president the power to appoint someone — as long as they are an Umno member — to sit in the supreme council. So it is also up to that clause, whether to appoint, or to terminate, or to replace that vacant position with someone else, which is also according to the clause in Umno's constitution."
Zahid also said he leaves it to Umno's members to consider whether there was any truth in Tajuddin's remarks.
"To me, anything that is stated by him, whether it is not true or there is a bit of truth, I leave it to Umno members, especially those in the grassroots to make the appropriate evaluation on the position of someone as a supreme council member, whether they were elected in elections or appointed according to clauses, or also present in the supreme council as they represented the state liaison — namely as a state liaison chairman — who did not win or was not appointed to the supreme council, as the appointed positions are already filled.
"That is the discretion of the president and the supreme council to give someone the opportunity to also be present in meetings at the supreme council, but they cannot vote if there is voting in any supreme council meetings. Instead, it is open for them to give their views or opinions, whether they agree, are neutral or do not agree."
Yesterday, Tajuddin alleged that 15 Umno MPs had signed the SD to support Anwar including himself.
He alleged that the list of the 15 MPs who had signed the SDs at the Tamu Hotel in Kampung Baru here included Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
In response, PKR information chief said Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said the revelation validated Pakatan Harapan's bid to retake the federal government and proved that Anwar had sufficient amount of support from MPs to hold the majority in the Parliament and hence form a government back in 2020 following the so-called "Sheraton Move".
