Nurulhidayah, the daughter of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, expressed disappointment with those who championed reforms but remained tight-lipped when her father was arrested.

Speaking to an about 200-strong crowd and media members in front of the MACC headquarters this evening at a solidarity rally for Zahid, she said she was not sad that her father had been held.

Zahid was detained by the MACC earlier today on allegations of graft, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

"I am not sad but infuriated and filled with hate. I have been keeping this feeling since 1998. My father has been locked up by the same man whose name is Mahathir Mohamad.

"Where are the reformasi champions like Hishammuddin Rais? Where are his buddies from the university? Where is Anwar Ibrahim who has been defending reformasi?

"Couldn't Anwar and (his daughter) Nurul Izzah see what has been happening (to my father)?" asked Nurulhidayah who appeared emotional.

Also present at the rally were Zahid's wife Hamidah Khamis, Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam, former Jasa advisory panel Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz and actress Ellie Suriati.

Zahid, once a staunch supporter of Anwar Ibrahim when the latter deputy prime minister, was once detained under the ISA, just a day after Anwar was nabbed under the same draconian act.

Hamidah said she was planning to embark on a road tour with Lokman to regain rakyat's confidence in Umno and to remind them, especially youngsters, in regards to history.

"Kids nowadays don't have that (the history) and that is why they are slacking," she told the crowd.

'God's punishment'

Hamidah also reminded those who have left Umno that they will not be accepted back.

"Never ever think that those who left Umno will be given a position again. Those who have gone (and regret heir decision), we will not accept them into Umno (again)," she said.

Hamidah also said that calamities as a punishment from God would hit Malaysia if problems such as the LGBT movement and alcoholic parties were not prevented.

"It's possible that a calamity like what happened in Sulawesi will happen in Malaysia if we don't prevent problems such as LGBT and drinking," she said.

The crowd, some of them clad in orange SPRM tees in a symbolic show of support for Zahid, dispersed at about 11pm.

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