Umno gag order? People can connect the dots, says Ismail Sabri

SHAH ALAM - There seems to be no freedom of expression in Umno today based on recent incidents, says Umno vice-president, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

In a Fireside Chat with Sinar Daily, the former prime minister that Umno has given the perception that action was taken against those who spoke up against Umno.

Ismail Sabri also said that there has been no proof of sabotage towards the party as claimed by the leadership.

"Even though the excuse for sacking was because of sabotages in the previous general election but that has not been proven and Umno Disciplinary Board has never called them for questioning to get a clearer picture," he said.

For instance, he said suspended deputy Umno youth chief Shahril Hamdan was the first person to speak up on the party president to step down after losing the general election.

The Bera MP also gave another example. Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has not been proven to sabotage the party but was highly vocal and spoke up against the party and the president in his campaign speeches during election.

"People can connect the dots, and there are no clear proofs that they have sabotaged Umno in the previous general election. People can see that action was taken against those who were vocal," he added.

On Jan 27, Umno sacked and suspended over 40 members.

Khairy, the former youth chief and former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar were sacked while Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein was suspended.

Others who were suspended for six years were former Shahril, Umno Youth Exco Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, former Jempol MP Salim Mohd Sharif and former Johor State Exco Maulizan Bujang.

The decision was announced after Umno’s supreme council meeting following by Khairy’s previous allegations that there were dirty tactics to ensure that Umno’s two top positions were not contested at the recent general assembly.