No show-cause letter from Umno yet, says Saifuddin

Former deputy minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah says today he will decide on his future in Umno only when he receives a show-cause letter on his presence at an opposition meeting. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Wan Asraf, September 28, 2015.

Former deputy minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah has yet to receive a show-cause letter from Umno for attending a meeting on the formation of a new opposition pact last week.

Saifuddin told reporters after launching a forum on urban regeneration in Kuala Lumpur today that his office has yet to receive the letter, despite party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor saying the letter has been sent.

“There was a Hari Raya Haji break and the GMM office was also closed on Friday. But so far, I have not received it,” he said.

“Maybe it’s on the way.”

Saifuddin, who is CEO of the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM), said he would only decide on the next course of action when he received the letter.

Tengku Adnan previously said that Saifuddin had "tarnished" Umno's name by attending the roundtable despite being an Umno member.

Saifuddin however, said he attended the forum in his capacity as an NGO and civil society member.

The long time Umno member was once Deputy Minister for Higher Education, a Supreme Council member, and MP for Temerloh.

Following the 2013 general elections, he failed to retain his MP seat for Temerloh and also lost in the party elections, making him an ordinary member.

Regarded as one of the more progressive Umno members, Saifuddin has been outspoken in criticising government policies.

He has however refused to leave Umno despite admitting that the party has swung to the right.

- TMI