Umno to purge 'enemy' members

Umno to purge 'enemy' members

By : Hamidah Atan

Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor says Umno needs to vet its members

PUTRAJAYA: Umno has embarked on a "cleansing" drive to get rid of members who have joined opposition parties.

All divisions will have to submit their new membership lists to party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as soon as possible.

Tengku Adnan, met after opening retail shops in Precinct 11 here yesterday, said all divisions in the states would have to vet the membership lists before submission. The recently concluded Permatang Pauh by-election served as an eye-opener for Umno.

"Many of our members did not vote for Barisan Nasional because they had joined either Pas or Parti Keadilan Rakyat. The data showed there were 90,800 Umno members in Permatang Pauh but only 10,700 voted in the by-election.

"The branches came to me and said most of them had jumped ship. They blamed the headquarters, saying we never took action even though they had written to us. I promised that I would take action this time."

The Putrajaya MP said Umno would delete the names "that are no longer with us".

"If they do not want us, tell us. If you don't believe in our fight, leave so that we can fight our real enemies. The problem is when we do not know who our enemies are. This was what happened in Permatang Pauh.

"We are cleaning up and getting our records straight."

On the refusal by 24 Sabah BN members of parliament to sign a pledge of loyalty to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Umno president and BN chairman, Tengku Adnan said the move proposed by Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Shafie Apdal "is to reinforce what they have already said in Permatang Pauh and elsewhere".

"I don't think the Sabah MPs are not trustworthy. You know there are lots of gimmicks by the opposition, especially their great actor (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim).

"They will continue to do all sorts of things to split us but I believe the MPs, including those in the peninsula, will not jump to their sides. Whether they want to sign the pledge or not, it is up to them."

Sabah BN Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Anifah Aman had described the move as an insult to the Sabah MPs.

He had said various Sabah MPs, including himself, had repeatedly voiced their loyalty to the BN leadership and that they had no intention of crossing over to the opposition.

On Thursday, Mohd Shafie had said that Sabah and Sarawak MPs would submit a pledge declaring their loyalty to the prime minister by Friday or yesterday.

kzso - yep... start with yourself, kj, kamaluddin, kalimullah, nazri, rafidah, mahadzir, aroff osman, anifah aman, musa aman, hp6 supreme council members, mps and ministers, corrupted heads of division/branches