Rejoin Umno to strengthen party, not for posts, says division chief

2026-03-08 - 00:03

Khairy Jamaluddin was expelled from Umno, Hishammuddin Hussein had his membership suspended, and Hamzah Zainudin left the party eight years ago. PETALING JAYA: Former Umno leaders seeking to rejoin the party must do so without expecting personal gain in return, says Tampin Umno chief Isam Isa. Isam said the move should not be motivated by ambitions to claim party positions, but rather to strengthen the party that once gave them political visibility. He added that he sees no obstacles against welcoming back the former leaders, despite being disappointed by their past opposition to Umno. Isam Isa. “They rose through the ranks and gained advantages, including top positions, through Umno. “So if they want to rejoin, they should do so unconditionally — not to vie for positions like president or deputy president,” he said. On Friday, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party’s doors are “unconditionally” open to former members, and that “all past mistakes and differences will be forgiven” in the spirit of Ramadan. According to Zahid, the doors to Umno’s “Rumah Bangsa” are open wide to all former members who were either sacked or suspended to return, as well as to individuals who wish to join the party in its struggle. He said the Rumah Bangsa task force, chaired by party vice-president Khaled Nordin, would coordinate the re-entry process for former members wishing to return. Earlier reports indicated that former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin is expected to rejoin the party after allegedly receiving the “green light” from top leadership. The former health minister was expelled in January 2023 for allegedly breaching party discipline during the 15th general election. Separately, the Sembrong Umno division in June last year approved a motion for party leaders to consider reinstating its former divisional chief and former vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein. In 2023, Hishammuddin and former information chief Shahril Hamdan each received a six-year suspension. Zahid’s remarks on welcoming former members come amid an internal Bersatu crisis that saw former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin expelled on Feb 13. Hamzah was among six Umno MPs who left the party in December 2018, citing a loss of confidence in Zahid’s leadership at the time. He is reportedly in the process of taking over Parti Keluarga Malaysia.