KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has started its purge, having sacked former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and supreme council member Tan Sri Noh Omar.
Others punished included former vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was suspended for six years.
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Former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, former Youth exco member Datuk Dr Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, former Johor state exco member and Tebrau Umno division chief Datuk Maulizan Bujang and former Jempol MP Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Shariff were also suspended for six years.
This was confirmed by Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi.
“A total clean-up is underway. Poignant but necessary,” he said in a Facebook post, along with a picture of the supreme council meeting here last night.
It was learnt that action was also taken against about 30 other divisional leaders.
Party vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has now replaced Simpang Renggam MP and former Johor mentri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad as the Johor liaison chief.
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Earlier at the meeting, Noh was suspended, but he requested to be sacked.
“Better to sack me than suspend me,” an upset Noh told reporters last night after he stormed out of the council meeting at Menara Datuk Onn here.
“Tonight is historic for me. The party president (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), in his address, announced that a few members would be sacked and suspended.“All of a sudden, I heard my name being announced, that I was to be suspended for six years,” he said.
The former Selangor Umno chief and former minister said he had then suggested to be sacked, adding that it was accepted by Ahmad Zahid.
“He accepted my suggestion. If I was not sacked I would not be here speaking to the media,” he added.
Noh, 64, questioned the decision made by Ahmad Zahid, saying that he had yet to be hauled up before the party’s disciplinary board.
“He (Ahmad Zahid) told me to see the disciplinary board this coming Monday.
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“What sort of jungle law is this?” said a visibly shaken Noh, a six-term Tanjong Karang MP who was dropped in the 15th General Election last November.
Shortly after the meeting ended just before 11pm, several of the supreme council members were spotted leaving Menara Datuk Onn.
Among them were Khaled, Datuk Seri Abdul Ghani Johari, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said and Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
Khaled said the party had been facing disciplinary issues lately and action had to be taken.
“The decision by the supreme council to act was based on the recommendations by the party’s disciplinary committee,” he said.
Bung Moktar, when asked by the media, said the party needed to act to safeguard Umno’s pride.
He said the supreme council endorsed the decision taken against several leaders.
Ahmad Said also said he agreed with the supreme council’s decision to act.
However, those stopped did not want to comment on the ones suspended or sacked.
On Thursday, Ahmad Zahid had said the party was going for a “mass cleansing”, which would involve “saboteurs” and those who had “shot themselves in the foot”.
