Malaysia’s Umno may welcome back ousted members to boost Malay votes but reactions mixed

KUALA LUMPUR – The possible comeback of ousted Umno leaders to the party’s fold – should they submit an appeal – has garnered split reactions within the once-dominant force, which has been trying to lift waning support from Malay voters and secure its chances in the next general election.

In particular, the possible reinstatement of former Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein, who was suspended in January 2023 for allegedly backing a rival candidate for prime minister after Umno suffered its heaviest political defeat in the 2022 election, has sparked heated discussion among its members.

Others who could return to the fold include former information chief Shahril Hamdan and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who were suspended and expelled from the party, respectively, after the 2022 General Election.

The duo, and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin, 63, continue to wield significant influence among the Malay community.

In what could be perceived as a tentative effort to extend an olive branch, the Umno Supreme Council – the party’s top policymaking body – said on June 30 that it might consider appeals from party members who were suspended for six years, naming Mr Hishammuddin and Mr Shahril among those who fell under this category, according to party newsletter Umno Online.

The rumour mill is also swirling with speculation that the trio may return to Umno, as the party seeks to regain its footing and counter the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) growing influence among ethnic Malay voters.

Umno currently holds 26 parliamentary seats and 109 state assembly seats – significantly fewer than PN’s 68 MPs and 208 state representatives, who dominate the Malay heartland.

Currently, in the 31-member Cabinet, Umno holds six ministerial positions, followed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with five ministers.

PKR anchors Malaysia’s multi-coalition government that has been in power for 2½ years, helmed by Datuk Seri Anwar, who is also Finance Minister.

Some within Umno believe that the ousted trio’s return could help the party win over swing voters, particularly Malay urbanites.

Umno Youth grassroots leader from Kuala Lumpur Mohammad Rajaie Abdul Halim, 30, supports the party’s attempt to welcome back this exiled group.

He told The Straits Times: “They are well-educated, experienced and influential, especially on Keluar Sekejap podcast. Their return could help us secure up to 50 parliamentary seats in the next general election, which must be held by February 2028.

“Otherwise, Umno risks being seen as a dinosaur party that sidelines its younger generation.”

Mr Khairy, 49, who was the former Umno Youth chief, and Mr Shahril, 39, both departed Umno in January 2023 and currently co-host the popular weekly political podcast Keluar Sekejap. It has over 375,000 YouTube subscribers as at July 3.

Mr Khairy, whose name continues to be bandied about as a potential future prime minister candidate, has also been in talks to rejoin Umno at the end of 2025, according to a source privy to the situation.

“So, I will wait if one day... by mutual agreement, the Umno Supreme Council accepts back expelled members,” he told the Malay-language daily Sinar Harian in May.

Mr Hishammuddin is the grandson of Umno’s first president Onn Jaafar. He held several senior ministerial portfolios – defence, home affairs and education – prior to his suspension.

On June 21, more than 450 delegates in the Umno Sembrong division in Johor – where Mr Hishammuddin has been an MP since 2004 – passed a motion during a division meeting to reinstate his party membership. His current suspension is set to last until 2029.

But the motion hit a snag as Mr Hishammuddin has yet to appeal against his suspension from the party, and has said he is unlikely to do so.

“Until today, I have not been officially and clearly told what exactly I did wrong... I was never called to provide an explanation or defend myself. I was not tried before the disciplinary committee,” he said in a video clip posted on Instagram on July 1, a day after the Umno Supreme Council meeting.

Umno Sembrong chief Abdul Ghani Abdul Rashid, who had tabled the motion on behalf of the Sembrong delegates, hopes the party’s Supreme Council will reinstate Mr Hishammuddin without requiring an appeal.

“He has strong support among voters, including the youth. Umno should leverage that strength,” he told ST.

Following Mr Hishammuddin’s remarks, Umno president Zahid Hamidi said “the issue (Hishammuddin’s suspension) was not discussed” at the Supreme Council meeting. “The matter is not that important.”

A confidant of Datuk Seri Zahid said that Mr Hishammuddin still fails to acknowledge his central role in almost thwarting the Umno president’s push for Mr Anwar to become prime minister following the 2022 election.

Mr Hishammuddin, who was one of the 10 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs who signed a statutory declaration

supporting rival party PN chief Muhyiddin Yassin

as prime minister, was labelled a “traitor” by the party. Umno is the leading party in the BN coalition, which supports the current Anwar-led unity government.

“Every Umno member knows about his betrayal of the party. Mr Hishammuddin wants to return now because he sees the current government gradually stabilising. Are we supposed to roll out the red carpet to welcome him back?” the confidant told ST on condition of anonymity.

Defending Mr Hishammuddin, Umno grassroots leader Bastien Onn said the former vice-president had eventually followed Mr Zahid’s directive to withdraw support for PN and toed the Umno party line to back Mr Anwar as premier.

“He never left the party or joined PN. Given his past contributions, the party leadership should reinstate his membership, especially since the suspension was imposed without due process. Umno should not close its doors while other parties remain open for him,” Johor-based Datuk Bastien, 47, told ST.

Likewise, Mr Khairy, who played a key role during Malaysia’s successful Covid-19 vaccine roll-out, might also find the need to appeal to return to Umno a bitter pill to swallow.

“It has been made clear both Mr Zahid and Mr Khairy are amenable to the latter’s return, but the question is on what terms and whether his expulsion will be wiped off the slate,” said another source close to the matter, who declined to be named owing to the confidentiality of the discussions.

Mr Khairy has yet to formally appeal against his sacking from Umno. Meanwhile, ST has contacted Mr Shahril for comment.

Still, it could be a matter of who blinks first.

Professor Kartini Aboo Talib said that Umno’s openness to the possibility of welcoming back the trio shows the party is willing to bury the hatchet, overlook old hurts and prioritise victory in the next general election.

“As the three are popular among voters, Umno is willing to ‘lick its own spit’. However, requesting them to write an appeal is a bit too much; it is not going to happen,” the deputy director of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethnic Studies told ST.

And while Mr Rajaie from Umno Youth Kuala Lumpur hopes that Mr Hishammuddin can return to Umno, he believes it is also important that the former minister goes through the formal appeal process established by the party in order for his membership to be reinstated.

“If he is sincere, he should apologise to all party members... As a former party leader, he knows the proper appeal process. After all, everyone makes mistakes – and everyone deserves a second chance,” he said.