Umno will set up a committee to review and green-light the return of individuals who left the party but are now seeking to return.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party’s door was wide open to any former member who wished to return, Bernama reported.
“This is also a home for us to reunite – when someone has lost their way, when someone is faltering… (they can) return.
“To welcome back our ‘family members’, this committee will be established,” he was quoted as saying at Umno’s general assembly today.
Umno sacked several prominent figures following the 2022 general election, including former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, ex-party secretary-general Annuar Musa and former Selangor Umno chairman Noh Omar.
Annuar and Noh joined PAS and Bersatu, respectively, while Khairy remained active in public discourse as a radio presenter and co-host of the political podcast Keluar Sekejap.
He made an emotional return to the Umno general assembly yesterday, attending the youth wing’s convention with Zahid’s blessing.
The former minister did not explicitly say he would apply to rejoin Umno, but said he was expecting “good things” ahead and that he would “do what needs to be done”.
Yesterday, Umno leader Puad Zarkashi said Zahid was also seeking to welcome back MPs who defected from Umno to Bersatu, the latter of which is fraught with infighting.
Umno suffered a slew of defections to Bersatu after Barisan Nasional’s fall from power in 2018.
The MPs who switched camps included current opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, Sabah Bersatu chief Ronald Kiandee and Wanita Bersatu chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.
