KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 16): Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Friday said the party will form a unity reconciliation committee (Jawatankuasa Penyatuan Rumah Bangsa) to welcome back former party members, whether individually or en bloc, signalling efforts to mend internal fractures within the party ahead of the next general election.
Zahid said the committee would serve as a structured mechanism to reconcile differences and reintegrate leaders who had previously left or been sidelined.
"Umno is a home for everyone to return and reunite. For those who have lost their way, for those who feel themselves falling — come back," he said in his policy address at the Umno General Assembly 2025.
"For that reason, the doors of this 'house' are always wide open. This is where we were born, where we were raised, and where we forged the very meaning of our struggle," Zahid said, drawing cheers and applause from more than 6,000 Umno delegates.
Zahid’s olive branch comes after high-profile disciplinary actions in early 2023, when the party sacked former Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Supreme Council member Tan Sri Noh Omar, and suspended senior leaders including Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Shahril Hamdan for six years following internal dissent after the 15th general election and breaches of party discipline.
The expulsions and suspensions were widely seen as part of a “mass cleansing” aimed at removing members perceived to have undermined party interests during the general election and its aftermath.
Notably, however, Khairy made a high-profile appearance at Umno Youth’s general assembly on Thursday, drawing a warm reception from the crowd. He was invited by current Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, reportedly with the “blessing” of Zahid.
Khairy, who contested against Zahid for the party’s presidency in the 2018 Umno elections, reportedly described the warm welcome as “a very, very emotional day” and expressed optimism about future engagements with Umno, although he did not explicitly confirm his return to the party.