KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO's decision to terminate or suspend several of its members from the party was a collective decision made upon deliberation in the sole interest of UMNO as a whole and not of any individual, its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

He said this was because all negative elements that tried to tarnish or defame UMNO leadership and cause disharmony within the party, should be tackled and responded to appropriately.

With the imminent 15th General Election (GE15), he said the consensus, the spirit of togetherness and unity among UMNO members should be strengthened.

"If the institution is weakened by the internal elements that engineered lies and accusations, disharmony will be inevitable.

"What happened really showed that UMNO was never about individuals. UMNO is about the people and the country. Past mistakes cannot be repeated. The wolves in sheep's clothing must be banned," he posted on Facebook today.


The UMNO president also said that all political parties were doing the same to ensure that their parties remained as respected entities.

At the UMNO Supreme Council meeting last Friday, the party decided to terminate the membership of Datuk Zaharin Mohd Yasin with immediate effect for violating the party's ethics.

Yesterday, the media reported that Alor Setar UMNO chief Datuk Mohd Yusof Ismail has confirmed that he and Pasir Salak Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman had been suspended from the party for six years.

-- BERNAMA