THE sacking and suspension of several Umno members on Friday was valid, party information chief Isham Jalil said.

He said Umno lawyers, citing the party’s constitution, said the “cleanse” needed only be referred to the party’s Supreme Council.

Isham, who is a Supreme Council member, said other processes involving the disciplinary board and such were only internal management practices.

“When the Supreme Council has endorsed the sackings and suspension of Umno members, then … (they) are valid,” he said in a Facebook post today.

On Friday, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan in a statement issued after a Supreme Council meeting announced the dismissal of Supreme Council member Noh Omar and former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for breaching the party’s constitution.

Also sacked were five members from the Pasir Gudang division, nine from the Putrajaya division, two from the Tanjung Karang division, and 26 from Pahang.

Sembrong Umno division chief Hishammuddin Hussein has been suspended for six years, along with Umno Youth vice-chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, Tebrau division chief Maulizan Bujang, and Jempol division chief Mohd Salim Sharif.

Ahmad said among the offences committed were standing as independent candidates, being candidates of parties other than Barisan Nasional’s, and helping opposition parties during the general election. 

Isham said he is confident the party’s disciplinary board had examined available reports and evidence before making the decision, while stressing that Supreme Council members did not interfere in the investigation. 

He said Noh, Khairy and others can still defend themselves and appeal several times to the disciplinary board.

“If Tan Sri Noh and Khairy as well as the others can disprove the evidence against them, I believe the disciplinary board will decide fairly,” he said. – Bernama, January 29, 2023.