UMNO is considering taking back some former leaders and members removed during a party-wide “cleansing” after the 15th general election in 2022.

Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said those who are still loyal and aligned with the party’s struggles will be offered a second chance to rejoin Umno.

“This applies to those who have had their membership revoked or were sacked from the party,” he said as reported by the New Straits Times.

In Negri Sembilan, he said the state Umno secretary and divisional secretaries have been instructed to vet and consider applications only from those who still demonstrate loyalty to and alignment with the party’s struggles.

“The ‘whitening’ (cleansing) process previously carried out by the party aimed to remove those who were no longer interested in Umno and believed the party would become weak,” he told reporters after launching the Amar Penghulu Umno branch meeting at the Dewan Budaya Kg Amar Penghulu in Jelebu.

He said the party’s cleansing process did not disrupt Umno’s strength and stability, as branches throughout the state managed to hold their respective meetings according to schedule.

“In fact, divisions like in Jelebu saw the opening of new branches, thereby increasing the number of party members.

“Umno has gone through various trials and challenges and faced many problems. The uniqueness of the party is that when faced with problems, it adopted methods to overcome them,” he said.

Jalaluddin also said efforts to strengthen the party, development, and governance are among the most received proposals from Umno branches, which have already convened their meetings.

He said the state party leadership will hold a meeting to review the proposals and take the next course of action once all Umno branches have completed their meetings.

Since early last year, Umno has terminated the membership of many top party leaders, including former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, former Tanjong Karang MP Tan Sri Noh Omar and former Umno Supreme Council member Isham Jalil.

Umno has also suspended several leaders, including Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan. – May 26, 2024