Umno Cleanse: No intention to appeal, will use the time to self-reflect – Shahril

KUALA LUMPUR - Former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan said his suspension from Umno gives him time to reflect on himself, but he has no intention to appeal.

Shahril said he was disappointed by the decision but he continued to be positive and that he would continue to do the right thing.

"As a human being, of course I am disappointed, but I’ll persevere and if we think we are doing the right thing, we continue and leave the rest to Allah.

"I thought about improving the party, but the Umno supreme council members (MKT) did not see it so it will be a bit awkward for me to appeal," he said during the Sinar Live programme entitled ‘Pahit nak telan, tapi...’, conducted by host Hazwan Mokhtar and broadcast live on all Sinar Harian social media platforms.

Shahril said that no matter what, his heart remained with Umno, and he would forever admire how former premier Tun Abdul Razak built the party for the country, which was the main reason he joined Umno.

"Many Umno leaders called and showed their support for me. Alhamdulillah, there are friends who care about me, but as I said before, now it’s time for me to reflect on myself.

"I realised that I have a weakness, and it’s time for me to improve myself," he added.

He said before being suspended, he believed there was room for all Umno members to improve based on what we learned during the 15th General Election (GE15).

"In the context of improving the party, we cannot say that Umno lost because of other parties, such as PN’s corruption; however, we need to improve our teamwork among the Umno members.

"However, on PN’s corruption, yes I believe it should be investigated."

Shahril expressed his hope for all the MKT members to always accept criticisms among themselves.

"However, their (MKT's) script is that you have to follow the right channel and space to show your critics."

Speaking on the issue of the move to reveal 10 traitors in the Umno general assembly (PAU), Shahril said maybe it was just a tactic for MKT to have an Umno cleanse.

"You have to ask them (MKT), the reason why they did this? I can't say much because I'm not involved," he commented.

Shahril, when asked about ‘St. Regis Move’, allegedly a secret discussion to remove Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, said that he did not know about such move and he was not a part of it.

Shahril also expressed his hope that politicians would be honest with themselves, not just for the sake of being glamorous.

"I want to help the rakyat; I left the corporate and business world because I wanted to enter politics," he added.

At the end of the talk show, he expressed his hope for Malaysia's young voters to continue to progress and get better opportunities.

"Their voices need to be heard, and they need to increase their knowledge in various aspects."

Shahril was among the 42 Umno members who were suspended for six years after the Umno supreme council meeting on January 27 (Friday).