Hasni: Umno leadership is a bully

Hasni (right) chatting with guests at the wedding in Benut on Saturday (Jan 28).

PONTIAN: Former Johor mentri besar Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad feels bullied by the Umno leadership despite all that he has achieved in the state.

Hasni, who refused to divulge his next course of action, said as a person who wanted the party to be dominant in Johor, he would not just be sitting around and doing nothing after his removal as state Umno chairman.

He pointed out that the first time he was bullied was during the state elections in 2022.

"At that time, I was the poster boy for Barisan Nasional to be appointed mentri besar when the coalition won big.

"Now, after I supported the idea of contesting the top two posts at the Umno elections, I am seen as going against the wishes of the party.

"I beg to differ," he said when met after attending a wedding in Benut here Saturday (Jan 28).

Hasni, who attended the supreme council meeting on Friday (Jan 27), said that he was not in the room when the sackings and suspensions were announced.

"Actually, many council members voiced their views but president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had already made up his mind," he said, adding that such drastic action would only further weaken the party.

Hasni, who has headed the state committee since 2018, said that he took over the helm when Umno was in the opposition.

"I hope our new chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin will be able to call for a meeting soon to discuss the latest developments in the party," he said, adding that he was still an Umno supreme council member.

Hasni reminded his party leadership that whatever decision made in Umno should not be at the expense of giving an edge to other parties who were already wooing some of the leaders who were sacked or suspended.

"I hope all those sacked or suspended remain with the party and not rush to join other parties.

"They can still contribute via other platforms," he said, adding that members were already questioning the procedures in which all the actions were done.