UMNO would reinstate Khairy Jamaluddin, Hishammuddin Hussein and other sacked or suspended members if they show their commitment to the party, said Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Umno president said Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was a clear example of this, adding that the former Pasir Salak MP continued to turn up for party events and campaigns despite being suspended.

“If other affected members take the same steps as Tajuddin, I don’t see why the Umno Supreme Council would reject them,” he said in Shah Alam on Sunday.

Khairy, former Tanjong Karang MP Noh Omar, and Isham Jalil were among those purged from Umno following the party’s internal election last year.

Sembrong MP Hishammuddin, former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, and several others were suspended for breaching party rules.

Khairy and Shahril went on to start a popular podcast, Keluar Sekejap, that allowed them to remain in public attention, while Hishammuddin has largely retreated from active politics.

Tajuddin, who was suspended in 2022 for criticising Zahid’s leadership, was reinstated this week and held up as a paragon of unwavering loyalty to the party.