Umno cleanup necessary, says Puad

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has started its purge within the party following the sacking of former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Umno supreme council member Tan Sri Noh Omar.

Others punished included former Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who was suspended for six years.

Former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, former youth exco member Datuk Dr Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, former Johor state exco member and Tebrau Umno division chief Datuk Maulizan Bujang and former Jempol MP Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Shariff were also suspended for six years.

This was confirmed by Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi.

"A total clean up is underway. Poignant but necessary," he said in a Facebook post, along with a picture of the supreme council meeting on Friday (Jan 27) night.

Earlier, former Tanjung Karang MP Tan Sri Noh Omar was suspended by the party and then later requested to be sacked.

Party vice-president Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin also replaced former Johor mentri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad as the Johor liaison chief.

Several Umno supreme council members have said that disciplinary action was against the leaders who are believed to have been involved in sabotaging the party in the general election.