Umno not worth joining anymore, says mother of DAP’s Dyana Sofya

Umno is not worth joining anymore, said the mother of former DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, a year after she was sacked from the Malay party. But Yammy Samat said her removal from Umno was over something far more trivial than what was committed by Langkawi Wanita Umno member Anina Saaduddin, who was sacked after she filed a suit against party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Yammy, 60, who was Umno's Ipoh division secretary, was sacked from the party last year for accompanying her daughter during her campaign rounds in the Teluk Intan by-election. Anina was sacked on Wednesday after she filed a suit against Najib, to account for the chronology of events involving some RM2.6 billion channelled into his personal bank accounts. Yesterday, Anina issued an ultimatum to Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to retract the termination letter against her or face legal action for failing to protect the party’s assets amounting to US$650 million (RM2.6 billion). Anina told a press conference her sacking was null and void as her legal action had commenced. "If he fails to retract, I reserve the right to take action against him for going against party rules and for his failure to protect Umno's assets of up to US$650 million that went missing from Umno's account," she said. Meanwhile, Yammy told The Malaysian Insider that unlike Anina, her "crime" was simply following her daughter on her campaign rounds. "I just followed my daughter in support and yet I was sacked," Yammy said. "It's not worth being in Umno anymore," she told The Malaysian Insider. Although disappointed with the party's reaction, Yammy said she felt freer without watchful eyes on her back. "I feel much more free and happy as I am able to attend any function I like," she said. Yammy said she felt Najib's reign as Umno president would soon come to an end given the current situation in the party amid discord over the RM2.6 billion. "It's high time he steps down, even if he held on to power, people no longer respect him anymore," she said, echoing calls from vocal Umno members who have urged Najib to step down. Yammy, who was an Umno member for about 40 years, was given a show cause letter after accompanying her daughter during the Teluk Intan by-election in May last year. She said she did nothing wrong as she had not spoken against the party and was merely being present with her daughter. Yammy said she did not bother to reply the show cause letter and has not looked back since. "I did nothing wrong, so what's the point in being in Umno anymore?" "I was only going along with my daughter and I never stepped on any stage to campaign for her. "For that, I was given a show cause letter and some months later I was fired from the party," she said. Najib has been under pressure over alleged financial scandals involving the Finance Ministry-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). Calls for his resignation have escalated following confirmation that some RM2.6 billion had been transferred to his personal bank accounts. Besides Yammy and Anina, former Batu Kawan Umno division vice-chairman Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan was also sacked from the party in February this year. Khairuddin had lodged a police report against 1MDB last year. The party, however, said it stripped him of his post for legal reasons as he had been declared a bankrupt. Khairuddin recently attempted to get international investigators to join the probe into 1MDB, lodging a report with the British police against the firm and its former joint venture partner PetroSaudi International for alleged money laundering. 1MDB is Najib's brainchild, and the prime minister, who is also finance minister, heads the firm's advisory board. – September 4, 2015.