UMNO sacks members contesting as independents in Chempaka by-election

UMNO has terminated the membership of Sharif Mahmood and Fadzillah Hussin who are standing as independent candidates in the Chempaka by-election in Kelantan, with immediate effect.

According to Media UMNO, the sacking was due to their contesting as Independent candidates in an election, which is against the party's rules.

It said the letters to terminate their memberships was issued by UMNO's headquarters today and signed by party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Shariff, 59, is a member of the Rancangan Kemajuan Tanah Kesedar UMNO branch in Jeram Tekoh, Gua Musang while Fadzillah, 55, is from the Kepala Batas UMNO branch in Tumpat.

The by-election is seeing a five-corned fight with the other candidates being PAS's Ahmad Fathan Mahmood@Mahamad, 42, the head of ulama affairs in the Chempaka constituency, and independents Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary, 48, a former independent candidate for the Pengkalan Kubor state seat and Aslah Mamat, 64, a Health Ministry pensioner.

The by-election has been necessitated by the death of the assemblyman, PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan menteri besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat on Feb 12 at the age of 84.

The Barisan Nasional is not contesting in the by-election so as to concentrate on post-flood rehabilitation in Kelantan following the extraordinary floods that hit the state in December last year.

Polling is on March 22.