KUALA LUMPUR: The expulsion of saboteurs from Umno will not hamper its effort to move forward and rise again, said secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Analysts say while the no-nonsense approach taken by the party leadership may stabilise the ship in the short term, Umno may have to deal with the fallout eventually.
Umno, analysts say, will face an uphill task as it strives to gain the support of the Malay vote bank, due to internal conflicts.
Ahmad, in a short posting after the disciplinary action was announced against former Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar, former defence minister and Sembrong member of parliament Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, and others, said the party was on track to follow directions outlined by its president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to ensure its revival.
"Umno will continue to move forward with determination to rise again following the directions outlined in Zahid's policy speech at the party's general assembly," he said, referring to the five directions given by Zahid, which included breathing new life into the party with ideas and effective cadres, revamping the party machinery, as well as grooming and highlighting new faces.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said the harsh disciplinary action would neutralise groups that were vocal against Zahid.
"I can't see other leaders still in the party, who are anti-Zahid, openly criticising the president any more. This may bring some sort of stability in the short term."
Azmi said the anti-Zahid camp would be quiet and this might also work out well for the unity government, especially with state elections around the corner.
"However, we are not sure how the people, especially the Malays, will view the situation in the long run."
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Ethnic Studies deputy director Associate Professor Dr Kartini Aboo Talib @ Khalid said the latest development in Umno was pushing the Malay party, which is on the brink and weak, over the cliff.
"Zahid has been labelled an 'iron fist ruler', following his decision to sack Khairy and Noh, as well as suspend the membership of a few others for six years.
"However, others may interpret it as an attempt to use the phoenix move on Umno, which means to burn it to ashes before resurrecting into a new life."
On Jan 27, the party sacked Khairy and Noh and also suspended Hishammuddin, former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, Tebrau Umno division chief Datuk Maulizan Bujang and Jempol Umno division chief Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Shariff for six years.
A party insider said the Umno disciplinary board, in presiding over Khairy's case, had, in its investigation, found several pieces of evidence, including video recordings of him supposedly "disparaging" the party.
In the case of Hishammuddin, the former Umno vice-president was believed to have been suspended for allegedly "misleading" nine other Umno MPs to sign statutory declarations supporting Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister after the 15th General Election (GE15).
Following their dismissal, PN and Muafakat Nasional leaders extended hands of friendship to Khairy.
Gerakan has also invited the former Umno leaders to join the multiracial party.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan Masheerul Hassan, a former adviser to former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said Umno had become "almost totally irrelevant" and that it was time for Khairy to branch out on his own should he decide to remain in politics.
Political analyst Dr Ainul Adzellie Hasnul believed the sackings and suspensions would drive Malay voters away from the party.
"This can be seen as a punishment of those who are against the president. The party has this concept of presidential institution, where the president must be respected."
He also said there was a good chance that Khairy, who is the former Rembau MP, would join another party.
He, however, said it was premature to predict anything.
"It is too early to predict, but I believe Khairy will join another party eventually."
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, meanwhile, is leaving its doors open to Khairy, its president, Muhyiddin, said.
"Khairy is a smart man who is liked by many people. It is not an issue because I know all these leaders (who were sacked by Umno), and it is up to them if they feel they are suited (to join Bersatu).
"I'm not trying to praise him, but when (Khairy) was with me in the previous government, I appointed him as a minister despite his party not proposing his name.
"We know he is smart and quite mature in politics. If Khairy intends to join Bersatu, he may apply for it, discuss it with us and we will consider it," he was quoted as saying by an online portal.
Muhyiddin said Umno's sacking of Khairy and another Umno leader, as well as the suspension of other leaders for violating party regulations reflected its undemocratic practices.
"I am sorry. I shouldn't be interfering in the affairs of other parties, but I was part of that party. What happened to Umno? It is as if it no longer practises democracy. They decide to sack people just like that. As far as I know, the party has a constitution." --Additional reporting by Qistina Sallehuddin