KUALA LUMPUR: A former Umno Supreme Council member is hoping that Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will honour his promise of accepting members and leaders who were previously suspended or sacked from the party.
Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who was suspended from Umno in 2022, made this call, claiming it was aimed at restoring the party's strength.
The former Pasir Salak member of Parliament said Umno, at the moment, is seen as distanced from its members.
"He (Zahid) has repeatedly said this (accepting back members and leaders who were sacked), but we have yet to see it become a reality.
"I hope that this time, the president is truly sincere in what he says.
"He loves the party, he wants it to win (the elections). He wants his party to be strong again. We at the grassroots feel the same way, we share the same goal," he said in a clip sent to the media today.
Tajuddin was commenting on the statement made by the Umno president recently that the party had received many applications from former members to rejoin the party.
Zahid, who is also the Barisan Nasional chairman, said that he would refer the matter to the party's Disciplinary Board, which would then present it to the Umno Management Committee for a final decision.
Tajuddin added that the series of conflicts involving several Umno leaders should not be allowed to continue, as it will only harm the party.
"Even husbands and wives quarrel. The same applies to Umno leaders and members.
"That being said, if we truly prioritise the party, any wounds from past conflicts should have healed by now. How much longer should the wounds remain unhealed?"
Tajuddin also said he has a long history of working together with Zahid in Umno.
"I believe and hope that the president (Zahid), whom I know well, remembers that he helped me become a Supreme Council member and that I helped him when he was running for the (Umno) youth chief position, vice-president, and all the way to president.
"I believe Zahid remembers all of this."
Tajuddin was suspended from Umno for six years in October 2022 for criticising the party. About four months prior to his suspension, Tajuddin was removed from his post in the Umno Supreme Council and was also dropped as Malaysia's ambassador to Indonesia.