Hisham was main mover in SDs backing Muhyiddin, claims Puad
(FMT) – Hishammuddin Hussein was the main man behind several Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs signing statutory declarations (SD) backing Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister after the general election (GE15), claims an Umno leader.
In seeking to justify Hishammuddin’s six-year suspension from the party, Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi claimed the Sembrong MP had frequently gone behind the party’s back in making overtures to Perikatan Nasional.
“He brought Umno MPs to Azmin Ali’s house. He asked Sabah (Umno) division leaders to join Bersatu. The main mover in BN MPs signing statutory declarations (following GE15) backing Muhyiddin was Hishammuddin,” he claimed.
He also said Khairy Jamaluddin, who was sacked last night, had blatantly hit out at the party and president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the GE15 campaign trial, adding that this was “extraordinary”.
While he admitted that he was unsure why Khairy was sacked, Puad maintained that the former Umno Youth chief’s actions were over the top.
“Talking bad about the party and the president during the GE15 campaign is too much. Claiming that there were phantom voters at the 2022 Umno general assembly is malicious,” he said in a Facebook post.
Last night, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan confirmed that Khairy had been sacked, along with former Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar.
Aside from Hishammuddin, former information chief Shahril Hamdan, ex-Jempol MP Salim Sharif, and Tebrau Umno leader Maulizan Bujang were also suspended for six years.
Puad denied that Umno will be divided because of this, claiming that those who went against decisions made by the party leadership were the ones who had caused rifts in the party.
He also dismissed the notion that the sackings and suspensions would deter young members from supporting Umno, questioning these leaders on the number of youths they had drawn to the party.
“It’s painful to be sacked, but it’s a necessity. If you truly love the party, then appeal. If you don’t want to appeal, wait out the six years,” Puad told Hishammuddin and the others who were suspended.
