Zahid refuses to take responsibility for Umno’s decline, says Isham

 

Former Umno Supreme Council member Isham Jalil (left) said party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi blamed ‘white’ voters for the party’s dismal showing in the Kemaman by-election.

PETALING JAYA: Former Umno Supreme Council member Isham Jalil, who was sacked from the party last week, claimed that party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi refuses to take responsibility for Umno’s electoral decline.

In a statement, Isham took Zahid to task for comments he made following Barisan Nasional’s loss in the Dec 3 Kemaman by-election, where Zahid claimed that Umno candidate Raja Affandi Raja Noor lost because 10,000 of the party’s “white” voters did not cast their ballots.

“He still does not want to take responsibility and keeps on blaming other people for a series of failures.

“As the president, he should take responsibility and instead ask why thousands of these white voters did not appear at the voting booths,” he said.

Isham also said he will continue fighting for the unity of the Malay community, which he said has been divided for a long time.

“When we are divided, we will become weak and will continue clashing with each other. This is not good for the continuity of the Malays and the Muslims’ struggles in this country,” he said.

He also said the Malay community’s divisions would cause national instability, negatively impacting the economy and the nation’s future.

Isham was ejected from the party officially on Dec 6, accused of being disloyal, failed to obey orders and directives, or respect party decisions, according to the membership termination letter sighted by FMT.

He has said he would not appeal the party decision. - FMT