KUALA LUMPUR: Umno is still waiting for the confirmation that suspended Rembia assemblyman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis is a PAS member before taking further action against him, says Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
The Melaka Umno liaison chief said Muhammad Jailani must reply with valid proof of his membership in PAS, which he claimed to have joined last year.
“We have yet to receive any official proof of membership since he claimed that he has been part of PAS since last year.
“We need evidence to figure out the next course of action. It is better to wait for his reply than to proceed with immediate action,” he said in a press conference at the 2024 Umno General Assembly here on Thursday (Aug 22).
Ab Rauf also said it is pertinent for Muhammad Jailani to reply to the state legislative assembly, as it would also reveal his seating position in the coming session, which is expected in November.
“The Melaka state assembly secretary has informed the Rembia assemblyman to submit official documents of his PAS membership details to the speaker’s office. But the office has yet to receive any letters from them, and he must reply before the sitting resumes,” he added.
Ab Rauf added that Umno headquarters had filed a letter of demand (LOD) on July 31 against Muhammad Jailani after he announced his PAS entry, which so far received no reply from the latter.
Muhammad Jailani was first elected as Rembia assemblyman in 2018 under Pakatan Harapan’s banner. During Pakatan's administration, he was made a state executive councillor (Exco) under the helm of the then-chief minister, Adly Zahari.
He then quit PKR in 2020 and remained an independent representative before rejoining Umno in 2021. In the same year, he defended his seat under the Barisan Nasional coalition during the Melaka state election.
Muhammad Jailani was reappointed as Exco during the tenure of then-Chief Melaka Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali before he was dropped by Ab Rauf, who took over from Sulaiman in March last year.
On July 16, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said Muhammad Jailani is now a PAS member, claiming that the latter became a PAS member in June 2023.
Takiyuddin also said the Rembia assemblyman had joined PAS before Melaka enacted anti-party hopping laws in July 2023.
