PETALING JAYA: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has received Khairy Jamaluddin's request to return to the party.
In a Facebook post on Monday (March 16), Ahmad Zahid said he personally accepted the application from the former Umno Youth chief and would forward it to the Rumah Bangsa initiative unity committee for review and consideration.
The committee is chaired by party vice president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
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"Rumah Bangsa is an effort to reunite those who were once apart, strengthen the bonds that have weakened, and bring us together as one large family of struggle," Ahmad Zahid wrote.
He said that the priority was to find ways to unify the party rather than allow divisions to continue.
"What matters most is finding the path to unity, not letting differences separate us," he added.
Ahmad Zahid said he hoped the initiative would serve as a way to reconnect hearts that were once separated, reinforce the party’s ranks, and restore Umno as the main political anchor for Malays and Muslims in the country.
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He also uploaded several photographs of him receiving the appeal letter from Khairy and of them sharing a light moment.
Rumah Bangsa, mooted by Ahmad Zahid, allows former members to return to the party without conditions.
In January 2023, Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan and former Tebrau Umno chief Maulizan Bujang were suspended from the party for six years, while Khairy was sacked.
On Thursday (March 12), Hishammuddin said he was ready to return and play an active role in Umno again if his suspension is lifted.
Khairy has also expressed his intention to return to the party.
