It was just an opinion, says Shahidan after calls for action against him

 

Shahidan Kassim said the call was the opinion of his Arau division but many in the division now want action taken against him.

KUALA LUMPUR: Shahidan Kassim today defended his call for Umno to form alliances with other Malay-based parties as an “opinion” after many in his own division in Arau called for action to be taken against him.

“There’s nothing wrong with giving an opinion. Why the need to punish someone over an opinion,” he said when asked to comment on the circulation of a draft of a motion for Umno to work with other political parties.

He was speaking to reporters after an event in the capital.

Arau Umno Youth had earlier called for action to be taken against Shahidan, claiming the stance he took went against the party’s decision to not work with Bersatu.

The wing’s chief, Syed Atif Syed Abu Bakar, had sent a complaint letter to the party’s secretary-general Ahmad Maslan over the Arau MP’s breach of party discipline.

Shahidan said the division had adhered to the decision made at the last general assembly and denied he had gone against the party.

“It is not my personal view. I merely presented the views of the division at a meeting.

“However it was overruled by the supreme council. So we will adhere, we do not want to quarrel with anyone.”

In March, Shahidan who was then the Perlis Umno chief said they would continue working with Bersatu in the next nationwide polls, although the Umno leadership had declared that it would not do so.

Shahidan had then told FMT that cooperation between Umno, Bersatu and PAS in Perlis was “necessary to win the elections.”

In April, the party removed Shahidan as Perlis chief. - FMT