Ahmad Ismail’s 3-year Umno suspension - “water off a duck’s back”
Blog Lim Kit Siang, 11 September 2008
The Umno Supreme Council’s three-year suspension of Umno Bukit Bendera Umno division chairman Datuk Ahmad Ismail of his Umno membership for his provocative, inflammatory and racist reference of the Malaysian Chinese as “penumpang” is too little, too late and too ineffective.
For Ahmad, the Umno Supreme Council decision is just like “water off a duck’s back”.
All these three attributes of the Umno Supreme Council decision being “too little, too late, too ineffective” were instantly evident from the immediate press conference held by Ahmad after the Umno Supreme Council decision yesterday, viz:
• Firstly, Ahmad remained defiant and unremorseful for his provocative, inflammatory and racist statement maintaining that he would not apologise although he accepted the Umno Supreme Council’s decision on him;
• Secondly, Ahmad declared that his “suspension” would not stop him from being active in the party, albeit unofficially, as he cannot hold posts defined in the party constitution, adding: “If my division is smart enough and creates a new post, such as division advisor, I can still be advisor.”
• Thirdly, he announced immediate plan to tour the country and explain to Umno divisions about the matter, and declared: “I promise one thing - I will make a comeback to Umno.”
• Fourthly, Ahmad’s defiance and total lack of remorse is not just individual bravado but clearly had powerful UMNO backing as indicated by the fact that he held his immediate press conference at the Umno headquarters at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur which was attended by the Umno Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor.
• Fifthly, Tengku Adnan’s presence at Ahmad’s press conference after being suspended as Umno for three years is most extraordinary and telling, for it could only mean that Ahmad has official Umno support or blessing for his interpretation that despite his three-year suspension, he could be appointed as “advisor” for Umno divisions with full liberty to go on a nation-wide tour to meet Umno divisions to justify his refusal to apologise for his provocative, inflammatory and racist reference of Malaysian Chinese as “penumpang”and do not deserve equal rights and to drum up UMNO support for his stand.
• Sixthly, the conspicuous failure of the Umno Supreme Council to take disciplinary action against the 13 Penang Umno division leaders who had supported and egged on Ahmad in his inflammatory, provocative and racist rants and acts in the past two weeks.
UMNO Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Barisan Nasional component parties should take appropriate action against their respective members if they go against party lines and raise sensitive issues.
He said the Umno decision to suspend Ahmad should also mean Barisan component parties show consistency by taking action against their own members when they stoked ill-feelings among the people.
This is the Star report:
Hishammuddin referred to an earlier incident involving Gerakan, where its Youth vice-chief S. Paranjothy created unpleasantness last year when he had reportedly said on the Internet that the Indian community were treated like fourth-class citizens.
“Hishammuddin said he called for Umno to break off ties with Gerakan due to the statement at the time.
“He added that acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had asked him to not push for action to be taken against Paranjothy because of the impending general election in March.
“Now when the same situation has happened (in Ahmad’s case), the concerned party should see Umno’s decision as a sign that when we criticise someone, what comes around will come around,” he told reporters after an Umno supreme council meeting.
Hishammuddin should state whether he would agree that disciplinary action should first be taken against him for his various keris-wielding episodes at Umno Youth Generla Assemblies, in utter disregard of the sensitivities of Malaysia’s plural society and which UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders have admitted was a major factor for the thrashing Barisan Nasional suffered in the March 8 “political tsunami”?
********************Ahmad still defiant
By Shannon TeohKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 - Datuk Ahmad Ismail remained defiant after accepting his punishment and refused to retract and apologise for his inflammatory remarks.
"No way. I made no mistake. Why should I apologise?" he told reporters after Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had informed him of the suspension.
He called the decision the will of Allah and accepted it willingly as he was a "fighter", not just a leader, and would have to take risks for his cause.
"We say that if you are not brave enough to play with the waves, don't make your home on the shore.
"And these are not just waves. This is a tsunami," he said, referring to the beating that Barisan Nasional (BN) had taken in the March 8 general elections.
"I have a long time, three years to rebuild my home in Umno. I will still stay with Umno because it is my party. I promise that I will make a comeback in Umno," he said to applause from members of his Bukit Bendera division, of which he is now former chairman.
He expressed his belief that the current situation was due to the rift among Malays and their strength was not strong enough to face unforeseen circumstances such as this.
"It must not have been easy to make the decision. The meeting took two-and-a-half hours but the top two leaders made this decision knowing it may not be in the favour of Umno but took it in the interest of national stability," he said of president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"You can blame the Sin Chew Jit Poh reporter for manipulating the issue but who blew up the whole thing? It was Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan followed by Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who played the issue for more than seven-eight days.
"But I know, Tsu Koon has a party election coming up, so give him a chance to cari makan (earn a living).
"I also congratulate Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. He won this game, today is his day. Umno Bukit Bendera wishes to express our deepest gratitude for the 18 years that he has worked with us and for the unique way he has repaid the goodwill of Umno, Muslims and Malays.
I would like to remind Malays in Bukit Bendera and all of Malaysia not to forget that if you support Gerakan, they will repay your goodwill in a very unique way, whether they are running under BN or not," he quipped.
He asserted that his statement during the Permatang Pauh by-election had been taken out of context.
Tengku Adnan clarified that Ahmad was still a party member and added that the supreme council was happy that Ahmad had accepted the decision and showed that he still loved the party.
"I cannot hold positions that are in the constitution, but if my division wants to create an advisory role, I can still take it up," Ahmad said.
Ahmad also claimed that more than 10 buses of supporters had wanted to come down from Penang to gather in front of the Umno headquarters before the supreme council meeting but he had pleaded with them not to come as it would make things chaotic.
Instead he promised that he would visit the different divisions and explain the matter to them.
- The Malaysian Insider
********************From Malaysia-Today online
Ahmad Ismail: Man of controversy
Ahmad was removed as councillor in May 2006 when he was declared bankrupt by the Insolvency Department. He was reinstated after obtaining a stay of execution of the bankruptcy order.
Raised in a family of contractors in Penang, Datuk Ahmad Ismail, 53, has been embroiled in controversies in the political, business and sports arenas.
He joined Umno in 1974 and has been the party’s Bukit Bendera division chief for 20 years during which all legislative seats in the Bukit Bendera constituency have been contested by only Gerakan and MCA. 
In 1995, a special purpose vehicle called Peninsular Metroworks Sdn Bhd (PMWSB) was set up and Ahmad was made its executive chairman. PMWSB was given the Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) concession, but the federal government recently put off the project.
Ahmad was also director of Nadi Senandung Sdn Bhd, which held a 55% stake in PMWSB in the early years. The remaining stakes were held by Setegap Bhd and Kumpulan Pinang Holdings Sdn Bhd (KPHSB).
KPHSB was a full subsidiary of Yayasan Bumiputra Pulau Pinang Bhd.
In 2002, Ahmad was appointed a councillor on the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and assumed the role of “Barisan Nasional whip”.
In February 2003, MPPP appointed him alternate chairman of the Building and Planning Committee, sparking criticism from then DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang who called it “outrageous”.
Lim labelled Ahmad as Penang’s “Super Councillor”, and said the appointment showed the government’s “utter contempt… for the legitimate objections and sensitivities of Penangites who are opposed to the PORR project for violating the principles of good urban governance.”
Ahmad was removed as councillor in May 2006 when he was declared bankrupt by the Insolvency Department. He was reinstated after obtaining a stay of execution of the bankruptcy order.
But his days as councillor ended because he had served the maximum term of four years.
He has also been embroiled in controversy in sports. As president of the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association (PSM), he sensationally led the national team’s pullout, at the eleventh hour, from the 24th SEA Games in Korat, Thailand, last December. He claimed the new rubber-coated ball to replace the pure rattan one was unsafe for players and that it had inconsistent bounce.
The International Sepak Takraw Federation (Istaf) proceeded to suspend Ahmad as its member and deputy president, and PSM as its affiliate on grounds that he tried to influence some member countries to leave Istaf.
Ahmad’s biggest mistake was made on the evening of Aug 23 this year when he campaigned for the BN candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat. On Aug 25, Sin Chew Daily reported the speech he made at Kampung Pelet in which he allegedly said Chinese were “squatters” and could not have equal rights.
His problem did not end there. On Sept 3, Penang Development Corporation (PDC) lodged a police report, asking for an investigation into the now-defunct Popular Profile Sdn Bhd (PPSB), of which Ahmad was director, for wrongfully taking and keeping RM500,000 from the state in a botched land transaction in 1998. PPSB wound up in 2005.
Ahmad was awarded two Datukships by the Penang government -- the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri in 1996 and Darjah Mulia Pangkuan Negeri in 2002.
Today, Ahmad’s membership in Umno was suspended for three years by the party’s supreme council for what he had said. He remained defiant to the end, insisting he did no wrong.
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