AHMAD Zahid Hamidi’s return to duties as Umno president will ease politicking in the party, said his deputy, Mohamad Hasan.

The party’s No. 2 said during Zahid’s six-month leave, certain quarters in Umno had tried to instigate leaders to move against one another with all sorts of speculation.

“I welcome his return. His return will end all this speculation about the leadership and talk aimed at getting party leaders to fight each other,” he said after opening the party’s Sepang division meeting today.

Zahid today announced he was ending his leave and would assume his position as Umno president with immediate effect.

He said this was possible as he is an elected party president, and had not been appointed.

“I can no longer stand seeing the people being lied to and insulted. 

“So, beginning today, I am officially resuming my duties as Umno president,” he said at an Aidilfitri event in Sg Sumun, Perak, earlier today. 

While Zahid had been on leave, Mohamad had been carrying out the responsibilities of president in his stead.

The former deputy prime minister’s announcement coincided with the first anniversary of Zahid’s election as party president.

Mohamad today said he did not think Zahid’s return would affect any party decisions he had made during the president’s leave because they were with the supreme council’s approval.

“Whatever decisions I made over the last months was accepted and approved by the supreme council. There was nothing different in the way I did things.

The Rantau assemblyman dismissed talk that the 87 charges Zahid faced in court would affect his performance as party president.

“Umno will carry on even as Zahid defends himself in court. He will have time on his hand other than when he goes to court for his case,” he said.

Zahid had taken leave in December last year after he was charged with 47 counts of money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption, and had handed over his duties to deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

However, this week he was further charged with 40 counts of corruption, for allegedly pocketing RM42.7 million in the awarding of a contract to Ultra Kinrara Sdn Bhd to handle a foreign visa system. – June 30, 2019.