KLUANG: Sembrong Umno is demanding an explanation from the party's leadership about the reasons behind the six-year suspension of its division head Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
Its deputy division chief Datuk Abd Ghani Abd Rashid said the decision made by the supreme council on Friday was too severe.
"The Sembrong Umno is of the opinion that the punishment meted out by the supreme council was too much. No consideration was made and it did not go through the due process.
"There was no showcause letter or hearing in front of the disciplinary board.
"The decision was made in a way that did not consider his (Hishammuddin's) contribution, sacrifices and loyalty to the Umno all this while.
"Because of this, Sembrong demands an explanation over his suspension," he said after a Sembrong Umno division meeting here today.
Ghani said Hishammuddin has built the division in the past 20 years and he has never betrayed the party or urged its members to turn their backs on the party.
He said the division members were shocked by the decision reached by the supreme council.
"The punishment paints a picture that he (Hishammuddin) had sabotaged and wanted to tarnish Umno's image, but we did not see such thing happening," he said, while urging the party to review its decision to suspend Hishammuddin.
"Procedures must be followed. He should be called to defend himself. We must adhere to this process because the person being punished must be heard, and several considerations must be made before reaching a decision.
"Everyone knows that a six-year (suspension) is meant for traitors to the party. This is not a light punishment."
Ghani said the Sembrong Umno division, which comprises 66 branches with more than 14,000 members, will continue to adhere to the advice given by Hishammuddin for the sake of stability.
He said the division leadership will also explain the supreme council decision to the grassroots to avoid any disunity on the ground.
On Friday, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the party's supreme council decided to sack former Rembau member of parliament Khairy Jamaluddin and former Selangor Umno liaison committee committee chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar.
Ahmad also announced the decision by the council to suspend several leaders for six years including Hishammuddin and former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.
