Zafrul quitting is constitutional, Umno leader says

Summary

• Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz’s resignation from Umno is in line with the Federal Constitution as he is a senator, not an elected representative, says a party leader.

• Penang Umno info chief Noor Ahmad urges Umno to improve the MOU between BN and Harapan.

An Umno leader said Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz’s resignation from the party is in line with the Federal Constitution.

According to Penang Umno information chief Noor Ahmad, this is because Zafrul is a senator, not a minister who won his seat through the electoral process, therefore bypassing the anti-hopping law.

“I am neither going against the tide with the decision finalised by the Umno supreme council, nor am I supporting Zafrul’s actions.

“It would be better for Umno to improve the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that has been tightly tied together with other component parties under Pakatan Harapan,” he said in a statement today.

Zafrul’s decision to quit Umno for PKR triggered backlash from the Malay-based party’s youth wing, with its chief, Dr Akmal Saleh, calling for the senator to quit as a minister too.

Selangor Umno Youth chief Imran Tamrin condemned Zafrul’s actions as “irresponsible” and “disappointing”, adding that it sets a bad precedent in local political practices.

PKR’s Rafizi Ramli also warned his party to be careful, saying this could open the floodgates for unforeseen consequences.

Zafrul’s move also means that Umno has one fewer representative in the cabinet, as he is still the investment, trade, and industry minister.

Establish procedures for ‘member theft’

Commenting further, Noor suggested a clause for a “cooling off period” to be added to the MOU.

“In the MoU, it may be necessary to detail a ‘cooling off’ period for a party to open the door to membership, if it involves leaders of other unity (government) component parties, for the sake of stability and mutual justice.

“If it is necessary for the unity (government) to establish a coalition disciplinary council to investigate cases of ‘member theft’, it would be good to realise it together with an improved MOU,” he added.

He also suggested that component parties of the federal coalition government amend their constitution to prevent Zafrul’s situation from recurring.

Besides that, he called for Umno to develop its members further to instil loyalty for the party.

“To be honest, Umno itself should not be defensive in this emerging issue. This party needs to be more aggressive in carrying out cadre development and member development work to be more loyal to Umno.

“Umno needs to establish policies that are relevant to the tastes of members and Malaysians. 

“It is a proactive step to bind everyone’s hopes to return to supporting Umno in the next general election,” he added.

Last month, Zafrul said his decision to leave Umno was entirely his personal choice and not made under any pressure.

He also denied claims that he is part of a purported political move to get him to contest a by-election at the federal or state level.

On May 30, Zafrul announced that he submitted his resignation letter to Umno and decided to join PKR.

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