KUALA LUMPUR, 2 Dec 2008: Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim was tonight sacked from Umno with immediate effect due to his actions, such as attending the opposition parties’ annual assemblies.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya Selatan Umno division chief Kapt (Rtd) Zahar Hashim’s party membership was suspended for three years for making statements criticising the party.
At a press conference after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting here, Prime Minister and party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said stern action was taken against Zaid as Umno needed to be consistent and avoid double standards in taking disciplinary action against errant members.
According to the Umno constitution, a sacked member could not appeal against the decision, Abdullah said.
“There were actions by Zaid seen as going against the party rules,” he said.
Zaid was issued a show cause letter by Umno for writing an open letter to the prime minister and for meeting with Members of Parliament (MPs) to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA).
He had also recently come under fire for attending the DAP victory dinner on 28 Nov, and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat congress the next day.
Earlier, his remarks on ketuanan Melayu also raised the ire of several Umno leaders, who demanded that he apologise. Zaid, however, refused.
The former Kota Baru Member of Parliament was appointed a senator by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 18 March and made minister in the prime minister’s department, in charge of legal affairs and the judiciary.
During his tenure, he tried to spearhead judicial reform, but found little support among his colleagues in the cabinet.
He resigned as minister on 15 Sept over the use of the ISA to detain blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng on 12 Sept. Tan, Kok and Raja Petra have since been released. — Bernama
