KUALA LUMPUR: Suspended Putrajaya Umno deputy chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz says he will appeal his suspension from the party, questioning whether it was a warning to others to toe the party line.
He said Umno’s supreme council was not given the full picture and context regarding his statement about the party president.
“I think that as a member, I have the right to appeal.
“I believe there were some mistakes when the decision was made,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Umno General Assembly 2020 on Sunday (March 28).
He had been suspended from the party for six years.
The decision was made by the party’s supreme council, which met on Saturday (March 27) night, on the eve of the annual general assembly.
Tun Faisal explained that he was not openly criticising the party president but was just giving his opinion.
“There are others who make more disparaging remarks about the president but no action was taken such as calling on the president to take garden leave,” he said.
“The Umno supreme council should scrutinise all my replies, don’t just depend on the disciplinary board,” he said.
He also noted that there was a lot of speculation surrounding his suspension, including whether it was a message to other critics to toe the party line.
“Some have wondered why I was suspended for six years.
“Other leaders who were involved in money politics did not face such harsh punishment,” he said.
He pointed out that the complainant came from his own division and it could also be linked to the position in the division pending the outcome of Putrajaya division chief Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s court cases.
The suspension takes effect from March 27.
Tun Faisal, who is press secretary to Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, was issued a show-cause letter by the party last month for openly criticising party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.