Isham Jalil confirms he will attend Umno Supreme Council meeting tonight after rumours of appointment as member
KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Former Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) information chief Isham Jalil had confirmed that he will be attending the Umno Supreme Council meeting at the World Trade Centre tonight after speculation that he might be appointed as a member.
Isham, who served as then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s special officer, was invited by Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
“I will be in attendance. As a member of Umno from the grassroots, I will help the party with what I can for the interest of the people and the country,” he said on his Facebook page today.
On June 3, Isham was made an ordinary party member after being axed from his position as Selangor BN information chief. On June 8, Isham said that he received a letter from Selangor BN stating that the state information chief position was never enshrined in the coalition’s constitution.
The invitation extended to Isham comes two days after Pasir Salak MP Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was removed as a supreme council member by orders of party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after a disagreement.
The Pasir Salak lawmaker has earned a bad reputation during his political career and was removed as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd non-executive chairman last May after he made inappropriate jokes during a press conference on the light rail transit collision.
Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi told online news portal The Vibes that he is expecting Ahmad Zahid to address Tajuddin’s removal in the meeting tonight.
Puad refuted notions that Tajuddin’s removal was a result of his criticisms of Ahmad Zahid.
“I am just like Tajuddin, and like him, I have also been very vocal against the president during our meetings, when it comes to party matters. There’s no issue,“ he said.
On the other hand, Ahmad Zahid confirmed to reporters at the launch ceremony of the BN Youth Job Fair today that Tajuddin was dropped for his attitude towards Umno, saying that while differences in opinions are allowed, final decisions should always be in line with the party.
