‘Just sue me’, Umno sec-gen tells sacked Langkawi rep

(Malay Mail Online) – Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said today the party leader who was sacked over a lawsuit against party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak can sue him if she wants.

Tengku Adnan was responding to former Langkawi Umno Wanita division chief Anina Saadudin, who had threatened on Thursday to sue him if he does not retract his letter of termination against her.

“She can sue me, just sue me, I will accept it,” he was quoted saying by news portal Malaysiakini.

Anina first gained prominence following widespread circulation of a 2.52-minute video clip last month in which she harshly criticised Najib as “urinating” on Umno’s three million members in a public storm over RM2.6 billion deposits into his personal account, which the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has said was a donation from a Middle Eastern donor.

On August 28, Anina filed a lawsuit on behalf of Umno against Najib at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, seeking to claim a US$650 million (RM2.7 billion) portion of the US$681 million said to have been donated to Umno by a friendly Middle Eastern nation to help the Malay ruling party in its 2013 election campaign.

Earlier this week, Umno executive secretary Datuk Ab Raub Yusof said that Anina was booted from Umno automatically for breaching party regulation against bringing internal issues to the court.

But Anina has maintained she was not given a chance to exercise her right as a party member to a fair hearing, claiming further that the termination of her membership was an afterthought and was done in mala fide in a bid to undermine her suit against Najib.

Today, Tengku Adnan was also reported warning that he will take action against Umno members who follow Anina’s example.

“I will sack them immediately without the need to refer to the disciplinary board or Umno supreme council as I have such powers as secretary-general of the party,” said Tengku Adnan, who is also a minister.

He claimed that Umno could now be said to have three types of members ― those fighting for it or for themselves, and those seeking to destroy the party.

“I don’t know which category Anina falls into, perhaps in the category of those wanting to destroy Umno, (they are) similar to termites and enemies within,” he was also quoted saying.