Umno info chief Shahril Hamdan resigns, calls on party boss Zahid to do the same

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan called on party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resign from his post following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) disastrous outing in yesterday’s 15th general election (GE15).

He said Zahid, who is also BN chairman, should set an example by taking responsibility for the drubbing.

“Without disrespecting him as an individual, I am of the view that the Umno’s No.1 leader and BN chairman needs to set an example by leading the process of taking responsibility for this defeat — by withdrawing honourably.

“Let the leadership and other individuals lead the discussion on making the next big decision for this party,” said Shahril in a statement issued here today.

He was commenting on the need for BN’s top leadership to step down, joining earlier voices from Umno, calling for Zahid’s immediate resignation after BN finished a distant third with only 30 seats for GE15. This figure was down from the 79 it won at the last election in 2018.

Earlier, Shahril said he also agreed with Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s statement, who was among the first party leaders to call for Zahid’s resignation.

He added that Umno needs to consider the next step in a situation where no party reaches the figure of 112 in GE15.

“This decision is big and needs to be made by the party’s supreme council and not just any individual or group.

“However, before the party holds discussions or makes any decision, there is one thing that needs to be done first,” he said, referring to Zahid’s resignation.

At the same time, Shahril said in the spirit of “collective responsibility”, he will also resign as Umno’s information chief.

He said that he appreciated the opportunity but noted that the stakes were currently higher for the party.

“Like many others, I remain loyal to Umno. The party’s struggle is not over, and this is not the end,” he said.

Last night, Shahril lost his bid for the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat, which he narrowly lost in his first attempt in GE15.

He garnered 27,288 votes compared to Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate Adly Zahari who polled 28,178 votes for a wafer-thin majority of 890 votes.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof, obtained 17,211 votes while the Parti Pejuang candidate, Muhammad Nazriq Abdul Rahman, lost his deposit when he only got 323 votes.