All 36 executive committee members of the Bukit Bendera Umno division have resigned in a move to force the re-election of the committee, in particular to return Ahmad Ismail as its chairperson.

The exco members have signed a joint resignation letter which will be tendered during the next Penang Umno liaison committee meeting, scheduled to be held in the third week of April.

NONE Incumbent division chief Abdul Jalil Ariffin ( left ) said the exco members are demanding an extraordinary general meeting to pave the way for fresh polls.

The exco members have also signed individual resignation letters.

However, exco members of the women's and Youth wings are not among those who have resigned.

Ahmad was suspended from the party for three-years following public outcry after he called non-Malays pendatang (immigrants) during the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign in 2008. 

His suspension was ultimately cut short last December and his membership rights were reinstated. He has maintained a low-profile since.

Hostile relationship

In an immediate response, Ahmad expressed his gratitude to Abdul Jalil for sacrificing his position so that the division could have new leadership.

“I thank him for his action. He is willing to resign even though his term will not be over until 2011,” said Ahmad.

On his hostile relationship with Gerakan, Ahmad was open to mending ties with former Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon and the party, if apologies were made to Umno.

ahmad ismail umno bukit bendera penang pc take down koh tsu koon photo stunt 080908 sequence Ahmad and Koh, who was then the party’s deputy president, were caught in a tense relationship, which led to Gerakan severing its ties with Umno.

Ahmad had accused Koh of causing racial tension and instigating the Chinese.

In September 2008, a poster of Koh ( right ) was shredded by Umno members attending a press conference called by Ahmad to defuse the situation evoked by his ‘racial’ statement. However, the event ended up in a shouting match with reporters.

Ahmad also clarified that he had not asked Koh to apologise to him as an individual, but to Umno.

He reiterated his accusations against the media for making him 'look like a racist'.

'I was temporarily sacrified'

If if his short suspension had thought him anything, Ahmad said the situation had allowed Umno grassroots to express their undivided support for him as well as their unhappy over his suspension.

"So, what can we learn from this?" he asked.

Ahmad said he had always been the de facto leader of the division and was always consulted about the running of the division.

Meanwhile, Ahmad also claimed that he had been made a scapegoat because of BN had been weakened since the March 2008 general elections.

"If BN was strong, I believe no action would be taken against me. But because of the 12th general election results, in order to stabilise the party, I was temporarily sacrificed. But that is okay," he said.