PETALING JAYA: Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who has been called to face the party's disciplinary board, will not be attending the meeting on Thursday (Feb 12) as he is still abroad, says his aide.
Ahmad Ikhwan Fadhli said the disciplinary board had been informed of this on the same day Hamzah received the notice on Feb 7.
Hamzah is in Sydney, Australia, to enrol his daughter at a university, said his private secretary.
“The disciplinary board secretary acknowledged that Hamzah had informed them that he could not make it (to attend the meeting),” he said when contacted.
The Star has reached out to Bersatu disciplinary board chairman Datuk Radzi Manan and is waiting for his comments.
Ahmad Ikhwan said that Hamzah had informed the Dewan Rakyat Speaker of his absence in a letter dated Feb 4.
In the letter, the Opposition Leader said he will not be able to attend the Parliament meeting from Feb 5 to 13.
Sources said the board will still meet on Thursday to hear the case of several Bersatu division chiefs who are alleged to have breached party rules.
These division heads are said to be aligned with Hamzah.
Among them are Jasin division chief Yadzil Yaakub, Srikandi muda deputy chief Nabila Norsahar, Libaran chief and supreme council member Yunus Nurdin, Padang Rengas MP Azhari Hasan, Gerik MP Fathul Huzir Ayob and Johor Baru division chief and supreme council member Datuk Zulkifli Bujang.
On Monday (Feb 9), Bersatu summoned Hamzah Zainudin over allegations that he was involved in efforts to sabotage the party and tarnish Muhyiddin's image.
Hamzah and four party division leaders have also been summoned to a disciplinary board hearing on Thursday.
An internal Bersatu notice dated Feb 6 said the party would make a final decision if they fail to attend.
The notice said the summons was issued because Bersatu believed there had been attempts to sabotage the party and tarnish the image of Muhyiddin.
In separate notices dated Feb 7 – Ahmad Nasir Mid (Selayang), Abdul Aziz Ismail (Dungun), Zulkifli Bujang (Johor Baru) and Ramlan Meon (Tangga Batu) – were summoned for different incidents.
They were alleged to have attempted to undermine Muhyiddin as the president and to support Hamzah.
All four division chiefs were instructed to attend separate hearings at the party headquarters on the same day as Hamzah’s hearing.
