CONTROVERSIAL Umno leader Lokman Noor Adam is waiting for official word from his party before deciding whether to appeal its decision to sack him.

This is because the decision, purportedly made by the party’s Supreme Council, was communicated to him through the media.

“For now, I don’t have any plans to appeal because I am still waiting for an official letter. My friends on the council told me I have been fired but there has been no official letter yet,” Lokman told The Malaysian Insight.

News reports had claimed that Lokman was sacked from the party for revealing internal party deliberations and for repeatedly criticising its leaders.

Last week, he revealed an audio recording purportedly of party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi suggesting that Umno and PAS form an alliance with ruling party Bersatu.

Lokman said he will continue as a voice “to check and balance” the Pakatan Harapan government regardless of whether he remains in Umno or not.

“I will continue to speak on the rakyat’s welfare,” he said, referring to his social media platform Laskar Siber Malaysia (Malaysian Cyber Troopers).

“My group will be a check and balance to the government and bring up current issues through social media so that the people will make a wise choice in the next general election.”

The party Supreme Council’s decision has been criticised by Lokman’s fellow colleague Puad Zarkashi, who wrote on his Facebook that it was a “rude decision”.

Other social media users were divided over Umno’s decision.

“Activists like Datuk (Lokman) also didn’t attend last night’s meeting… Datuk should have attended and criticised them openly, record a video, that is a real activist,” wrote one user named Azuan Wan.

“By just sitting and criticising on Facebook that is lame Datuk.”

Another FB user named Mohd Adnan said: “Kah kah kah. You talk a lot but when you are sacked you fall silent. Embarrassing la Lokman.”

Sahridan Haron wrote: “Whatever can happen will happen. What Datuk Lokman did has some truth to it. Think about it.” – February 8, 2020.