FORMER UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has called for Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to step down as the party president.
According to the Pasir Salak MP, he was the “living proof” to how UMNO had signed statutory declarations (SDs) last year backing opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
On June 23, Tajuddin, who is also the ambassador-designate to Indonesia, was removed as an UMNO Supreme Council member. Former Selangor Barisan Nasional chief Isham Jalil was appointed as his replacement.
Speaking at a press conference, Tajuddin said that he did not want to sign the SD in the first place but was “forced to”.
“For the sake of the party, Zahid, please step down and let go of the party’s presidency,” he said.
He alleged that the Supreme Council’s decisions were made by Zahid, with members of the council simply “following” the Bagan Datuk MP.
He claimed that Zahid would “plan in advance” with a media statement already prepared, while Supreme Council meetings were merely for show.
When asked about the best candidate to replace Zahid as UMNO president, Tajuddin said UMNO vice president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was the best man for the job.
“There is a lot of grassroot support for Ismail to become (the next) UMNO president. We want a president who is clean,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tajuddin also claimed that some 130 UMNO division chiefs had wanted Zahid to step down from his post back in 2020, adding that there was a memorandum within the party for Zahid to step down.
The memorandum was allegedly led by UMNO deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Tajuddin pointed out that Zahid was dissatisfied because he had failed to become prime minister with Ismail Sabri clinching the top post instead.
He also accused Zahid of not fighting for the party but simply for the sake of returning to power, and said that Zahid was a liability to UMNO who would lead the party to defeat should he be at the helm at the next general election (GE15).
“I suggest that Zahid focus on his court cases. He cannot take care of UMNO. We pray for the best for him, but he should focus on his court cases,” he said.
Zahid is currently standing trial on 47 charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving millions from Yayasan Akalbudi, and accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as the home minister.
Twelve of the charges are for CBT, eight for corruption, and the remaining 27 for money laundering. – June 27, 2022
