Not easy to just “forgive and forget” traitors, UMNO veteran tells Alwi

Not easy to just “forgive and forget” traitors, UMNO veteran tells Alwi




UMNO veteran Tan Sri Shahril Abdul Samad scoffed at his fellow party leaders’ opinion to just “forgive” their ex-members’ transgressions and be open to receive the latter back into their fold.

“Every leader has the right to voice their opinions. One even said we should open our hearts and never be spiteful against those who tried to bring us down.


“As for me, I’m neither hateful nor spiteful but I despise cruel leaders. Although they were in power only for a while, they inflicted so much damage on UMNO and party leaders,” he said on Facebook, referring to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).


Two days ago, UMNO supreme council member Datuk Seri Md Alwi Che Ahmad urged the party leadership to be open in readmitting Bersatu leaders who had “transgressed” against them.


“Those who left UMNO for Bersatu, perhaps they had their reasons for it. However, if they have repented and want to rejoin the party, let them come,” Astro Awani reported him as saying.


Alwi cited the example of the now defunct Semangat 66 led by Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, where the bitter feud between both parties led to UMNO losing Kelantan for 30 years.

“However, former UMNO president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad readmitted Tengku Razaleigh and former Semangat 46 leaders into the party later on.

“We forgive and forget. Why the need to hate people so much?” Alwi queried.

Touching on the matter, Shahrir reminded Alwi that several UMNO division and state leaders got hauled up to court when Bersatu was running Putrajaya, on claims of receiving illegal money.

He added that despite the courts throwing out the cases due to insufficient evidence, the public prosecutor kept appealing against the decision, levelling much financial hardship on the UMNO leaders as they needed to pay for legal fees.

“And that is just the party. On individual level, I got charged in court while others escaped after they defected from the party that nurtured them from the start,” the former minister quipped.

Shahrir remarked: “UMNO is great because we don’t despise anyone but that doesn’t mean we should just ignore the cruelty and treachery of some of our former leaders.” – May 10, 2022