Kuala Lumpur: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has left it to the UMNO Supreme Council to decide on a motion to revoke the suspension of former Vice-President Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s party membership.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Zahid mentioned that the UMNO Supreme Council may deliberate on the matter even though the individual involved has not submitted any appeal letter or letter of apology. He noted that all motions submitted by the divisions are typically brought to the Motions Committee for review. In this particular case, the motion from the Sembrong UMNO Division includes a statement from the Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, indicating his intention to bring the matter to the Supreme Council.

Ahmad Zahid pointed out that the authority to expel, suspend, or reinstate a member, in the absence of the General Assembly, lies with the UMNO Supreme Council as the highest decision-making body. He was responding to inquiries regarding the motion submitted by the Sembrong UMNO Division, which calls for Hishammuddin’s suspension to be lifted immediately and unconditionally.

Furthermore, Ahmad Zahid emphasised that any disciplinary action involving suspension is carried out reasonably, and the UMNO Supreme Council would not take such action without strong grounds. It was during a meeting on 27 January 2023, that the UMNO Supreme Council decided to suspend Hishammuddin’s membership for six years after finding him in breach of Clause 20.9 of the UMNO Constitution.