| History Shows No Benefit From Quit Umno Moves, Says Hishammuddin |
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KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein said Tuesday history has shown that there is no benefit to the individual and other members from the quit Umno moves.
In saying this, he drew a parallel with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's decision to quit Umno to similar decisions made in the past by his father Tun Hussein Onn and grandfather Datuk Onn Jaafar.
"Quitting the party does not benefit anyone, including the individual who quits. It is preferable to remain in the party and do what one can (in the interests of the people)," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby, here.
Hishammuddin was commenting on Dr Mahathir's announcement Monday to quit Umno because he had lost confidence in Prime Minister and Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership, and that he would only rejoin the party after Abdullah had stepped down from his posts.
Datuk Onn, who founded Umno in 1946, left the party on Aug 26 1951 after he became disappointed with the Malays for being reluctant to open the party membership to other races.
Tun Hussein, who was prime minister from 1976 to 1981, also isolated himself from Umno after the 1987 crisis when he and Tunku Abdul Rahman became strong critics of the Mahathir administration.
Hishammuddin, who is Education Minister, said these lessons in history had served him well and he would remain with the Umno struggle to help the people.
"As such, in Umno Youth, I emphasise to members on the need to place the party's interests above everything else," he said.
He said the pressure and calls from Dr Mahathir for Abdullah to step down would only undermine the party because the transition of power could not take place smoothly.
In KOTA BAHARU, Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Annuar Musa said Dr Mahathir had a personal agenda.
He said Dr Mahathir's decision was not made in the interest of the people and nation but was the result of disappointment with Abdullah's changing of the policies he had implemented previously.
"Mahathir is experiencing a sense of insecurity, hugely dissappointed with the prime minister's changing of the policies he had implemented," he said in a statement.
He said he wanted the prime minister to be his puppet.
In KUALA LUMPUR, Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal said he was saddened at learning of Dr Mahathir's decision to quit Umno.
However, he said it was not proper to describe Dr Mahathir as a torn in the flesh as former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam had done so.
He said that in the current situation, it was better for the party members to remain calm and not point fingers at one another.
Shafie said suitable suggestions of Dr Mahathir could be looked into so long as they were in accordance with the objectives of the party's struggle.
Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz expressed regret over Dr Mahathir's decision in "cutting off the nose to spite the face" which she said went contrary to his call for loyalty to the party when he was helming it.
"I am shocked because Tun (Dr Mahathir) is seen to have penalised Umno for issues he has not been happy with. I did not think that he would do this," she said when approached at the Parliament lobby.
Rafidah said party members should not hold the party to ransom to achieve their desires.
Umno Information Chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said he would go down to the ground to explain Dr Mahathir's quit decision and urged all Umno divisions to ask members to remain calm and not do anything that could cause tension.
He said that so far there had been no reports of members having left the party.
In KANGAR, Perlis Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said he hoped that Dr Mahathir would change his mind about quitting Umno if he was informed of the steps being taken to strengthen the party.
-- BERNAMA
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