SHAH ALAM, June 23 — All Umno divisions are entitled to submit their own motions and express their views, including on the matter of the withdrawal of Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s membership suspension.
According to Berita Harian (BH), the matter was clarified by Umno Malaysia’s Information Chief, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. However, she stressed that the Umno Supreme Leadership has not yet received any formal motion on the issue, despite reports suggesting that the Sembrong Umno Division had raised it.
“All Umno divisions can make motions or requests. There’s no issue with that. It’s their right. But in my view, Umno, like other political parties, has its own way of doing things,” she said.
“As of now, I have not seen any application (regarding the motion to withdraw Hishammuddin’s suspension). I have not seen any request yet. Maybe it will come up in the Umno management meeting,” she added.
She made the remarks in response to a statement from the Sembrong Umno Division, which called for the reinstatement of its former chief, back into the party leadership, BH reported.
The matter was raised during the Sembrong Umno division representative meeting held at the Sembrong Umno Community House last Saturday.
It is understood that this is the second consecutive year the Sembrong Umno division has put forward a motion calling for the immediate and unconditional lifting of Hishammuddin’s suspension.
In his speech at the division’s annual meeting, Johor Umno chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi reflected on the significant role Hishammuddin played in the early stages of his political career, referring to him as a ‘sifu’.
“Sembrong is not just a political constituency; it’s where I began to learn the true meaning of struggle, and the person who guided me here was Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein,” he was quoted as saying.
Onn Hafiz added that although Hishammuddin was not present at the event, the motion presented by the members clearly reflected their appreciation for his leadership.