Was my sacking due to event with Dr Mahathir, asks Hamidah

Sacked Perak Umno leader Datuk Hamidah Osman said she was unsure for the basis of her removal from the party and would consult her supporters first before deciding her next course of action. The Gopeng division Wanita chief, who was fired from the party last night, for openly criticising the leadership, said she would hold a press conference on Friday to announce her future plans. "I only heard about it last night when reporters called me. "I have not received any official notice yet and am unaware of the grounds of the decision," she told The Malaysian Insider today. Hamidah's sacking was announced by Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday after an Umno Supreme Council meeting held within Parliament grounds. Hamidah said her last correspondence with the party leadership was in May, in which she gave her response to a show-cause letter for organising an event in Ipoh where former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the speaker. "I find it odd if I was axed for that because Tun (Mahathir) is also an Umno member. "How come I was sacked but not the speaker," she said. In May, Hamidah had organised a Bicara Negara event at Tower Regency Hotel, Ipoh, where Dr Mahathir, the invited speaker, had talked about debating Najib over debt-laden 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). The former prime minister has been vocal in his criticism of Najib over the controversial fund, adding said that his chosen successor could not be forgiven for the massive debts incurred by the state-owned investment vehicle. Meanwhile, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said Hamidah's deputy will take over in the interim as the Gopeng division Wanita chief. "It is the norm in the party for the deputy to lead when the chief post is vacated," he said after chairing the state executive council meeting in Ipoh today. The Perak Umno liaison chairman also confirmed that Umno Gopeng division members had directly voiced their dissatisfaction with Hamidah to the party leadership. "We (state party leadership) were not involved and have only been relayed the decision made by the Umno Supreme Council," he said. He also declined to comment further on whether the sacking would cause a split among the state division members in Gopeng. Perak Umno liaison secretary Datuk Saarani Mohammad told reporters yesterday that Hamidah's sacking did not come as a shock, as it was known that she had been openly critical of the prime minister, who also leads Umno. Saarani said this was evident based on her activity on social media such as Facebook. In early September, Hamidah was reported by Malay daily Sinar Harian as saying, “Don't tell me three million members need to sacrifice for the sake of one man. It should be the leader who sacrifices for the sake of the party's three million members.” She had urged Najib to accept the reality that the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal had compromised the people's trust in Umno. – November 25, 2015.