No grounds to sack me, says Umno man who called for Najib’s resignation

Pusat Bandar Taman Chempaka branch information chief Syed Rosli Syed Harman Jamalullail believes the partly leadership has no grounds to sack him over his call for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 5, 2015.An Umno branch leader, who asked for Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak's resignation, is not worried that he will be sacked from his party post like another branch leader who lodged a police report against the government-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Umno branch chief Syed Rosli Syed Harman Jamalullail said he heard that Batu Kawan Umno deputy division head Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan had come under pressure for his police report against 1MDB last December, but said the party would have no grounds to remove him (Syed Rosli) for asking Najib to resign.

Khairuddin was recently sacked from his party post due to him having being declared a bankrupt last year. The Umno constitution disallows anyone declared a bankrupt from holding any party position. But Khairuddin remains a member of the party.

Syed Rosli, the Pusat Bandar Taman Chempaka branch information chief, said that his call for Najib's resignation had not breached the party's constitution, but added that he had received warnings about being sacked.

"Just like me, they want Umno to sack me, but on what grounds? They can't fire me.

"The other branch chiefs have insisted that Najib will take action against me and sack me. But so far, there has been nothing.

"And I am sure, that what I had actually done was not in breach of the party's constitution. I spoke up for the truth. I think that is why they have not taken action against me," he said when contacted by The Malaysian Insider.

Syed Rosli's claim that other branch leaders want him sacked comes as Umno divisions plan to meet this Sunday in a show of solidarity for Najib, who is under attack from within the party and externally for his performance as prime minister.

Strong critic

Khairuddin has become unpopular in his Umno division since lodging the police report against the debt-ridden strategic investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was Najib's brainchild.

He has been accused of being backed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was also a strong critic of Najib and 1MDB.

1MDB came under scrutiny after several opposition leaders highlighted the fund's massive debts, dubious land deals and secrecy over its transactions.

Khairuddin was declared a bankrupt in May last year by the Malaysian Insolvency Department. It is learnt that his party received a report on it in December.

According to the Umno Constitution, Rules 8.4 and 28.9 state that a bankrupt will be automatically disqualified from holding or contesting any position in the party.

Syed Rosli said there was no basic evidence to accuse Umno for taking action against Khairuddin for lodging the police report itself, but he could have been sacked if the report was threatening to the party and to the prime minister.

The talk among some party observers is that the action taken against Khairuddin was to exert pressure on him to "not go overboard in showing off" and the party had used the bankruptcy excuse to remove him from his party post.

Last Saturday, Penang Umno confirmed Khairuddin's sacking as the court had declared him bankrupt on May 24 last year and a report of his bankruptcy had been filed with the party.

Syed Rosli told The Malaysian Insider that Khairuddin's Umno branch chief himself had made a formal complaint to the party's disciplinary board about his (Khairuddin) bankruptcy.

When asked if this was Umno's way of handling its in-house critics, Syed Rosli said he had heard that Khairuddin had been pressured following his report.

"I had also come to know from the division leader that they attacked me, criticised my credibility as a branch leader, that I had failed as a leader.

"But our branch is the most active one and we have never failed to hold our annual meetings," he added.

The Umno leader said his party had to think about how this would affect them before making any moves and it had to be careful as any action they made came under public scrutiny.

Last December, Syed Rosli had written an open letter to Najib, urging the prime minister to back out respectfully from the 14th General Election to give a breath of fresh air to the party.

He said Umno was now weak as it had no support from the Malays and also from traditional voters of Barisan Nasional component parties.

In his December police report, Khairuddin called for a “detailed and comprehensive” investigation, urging authorities to interrogate 1MDB’s directors and representatives of any company that might be implicated in its scandals.

He said that he lodged the police report after studying various reports in national and international print and online media that “clearly proved” there were weaknesses in 1MDB’s management of taxpayers’ funds.

He also lodged a  similar report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in January, saying he was also mulling about leaving his "stupid" party because of the attacks against him.

After having been relieved of his party post, Khairuddin said he accepted his removal as a price he had to pay for upholding the truth and for fighting graft, and vowed not be cowed by political pressure.

Even without a position in the party, he said he would continue to speak up for the interest of the public.

- TMI