BAGAN DATUK: The three Umno leaders who have broken ranks to contest in the general election face the immediate sack, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president said the party Constitution stipulated that members who contest on any other ticket or become proposers and supporters of candidates representing the Opposition, could be expelled.
“I have instructed the Umno secretary-general [Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan] to issue a media statement to detail certain provisions in the Umno Constitution that allow the dismissal to be carried out.
“This is a normal step because we follow the procedures provided in the party Constitution, and likewise if a leader from another party joins Barisan,” Bernama reported him telling reporters at his residence in Kampung Sungai, Nipah Darat, here yesterday after filing his nomination papers to defend his Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat.
All smiles: Ahmad Zahid (right) with fellow candidates Shamsul Iskandar (second from right) and Tawfik (left) at the SM Sains Bagan Datoh nomination centre. — Bernama
The three are incumbent Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and incumbent Maran MP Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Abd Muttalib, who are defending their seats on a Perikatan Nasional ticket.
Another incumbent, Padang Besar MP Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, is defending the seat and also contesting the Titi Tinggi state seat in Perlis as an independent.
Ahmad Zahid will clash with Pakatan Harapan’s Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin in a four-cornered fight for the Bagan Datuk seat. The other two candidates are Dr Muhammad Faiz Na’aman of Perikatan Nasional, and independent Tawfik Ismail.
In GE14 in 2018, Ahmad Zahid defended the seat with a 5,073-vote majority, obtaining 18,909 votes to defeat PKR and PAS candidates.
Perikatan is fielding Muhammad Faiz, a Bersatu supreme council member, while Tawfik is a former Sungai Benut MP in Johor.
Bagan Datuk has 58,183 registered voters.
