'I'll move forward with dignity,' Hisham hints he won't appeal Umno suspension

Summary

• Hishammuddin Hussein has indicated he will not appeal his six-year suspension from Umno, citing a lack of fair hearing and adherence to principle.

• Umno's supreme council has stated they are willing to consider appeals for membership suspensions, but only directly from the individual involved.

• Hishammuddin claims he still does not know the specific reason for his suspension and was never officially informed or summoned by the disciplinary committee.

Former Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein has hinted that he will not appeal to lift his six-year suspension from the party.

The Sembrong MP said he would not do so on principle, claiming he was not given a fair hearing before the decision was made.

“Yesterday, the supreme council made their decision, and that decision reflects who they (leaders) are, not who we (members) are. They have made their choice.

“And now, I will move forward with dignity and principle. This is a struggle for values and meaning.

“An appeal is not the measure of my loyalty; it is the principles within the party that determine our loyalty as party members,” he said in a video recording uploaded to his Facebook page today.

Hishammuddin (above) said the Umno supreme council’s decision last night regarding his suspension was expected.

“I was suspended on the grounds of violating certain clauses in the Umno constitution, but there were no details or further explanation.

“To this day, I have not been officially or formally informed in writing of the specific offence I am accused of. I was not called in to provide an explanation or to defend myself,” he said.

Umno’s supreme council met last night and expressed its willingness to consider applications or appeals to lift party membership suspensions.

However, in a statement, party’s secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the council reiterated that any such application must come directly from the individual involved, not from any third party.

Last month, Sembrong Umno passed a resolution for top party leaders to reinstate Hishammuddin's membership.

‘Impossible not to know’

An Umno source told Malaysiakini that during the meeting last night, party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remarked that it was impossible for the Sembrong MP not to know the reason for his six-year suspension.

According to the source, who is also a member of the Umno supreme council, Zahid revealed the grounds for Hishammuddin’s suspension during the meeting.

Umno suspended Hishammuddin’s membership for six years following a supreme council meeting held at the end of January 2023.

Others who were punished along with Hishammuddin included former Umno Youth deputy chief Shahril Hamdan Suffian, former Tanjung Karang MP Noh Omar, former Jempol MP Salim Sharif, and former Tiram assemblyperson Maulizan Bujang.

However, Noh requested that Umno sack him instead.

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