It was a big surprise for me after found out that our former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad announced this morning that he is quitting Umno. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced this on Monday at 12.35pm, citing a lack of confidence in the current leadership.”I am quitting Umno today,” he told about 1,000 people, mostly Kedah Umno members, at a talk here on Monday.
Tun Dr Mahathir urged other party members to quit too, as a way of pressuring Abdullah into vacating his post.However, he advised those who do quit not to join any opposition party, adding they can all rejoin the party once there is a change in leadership.
Double blow to UMNO happened when Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, who is a former Kedah Mentri Besar, also quit the party today.
Brief of Tun Mahathir
1946: Joined United Malays National Organisation (Umno).
1947: While a medical student, he wrote extensive anti-colonial commentaries in Malay newspapers under the pen-name “Che Det”.
1957: Resigned from government service as a doctor. Starts private practice.
1964: Entered active politics as Kota Star Selatan MP.
1965-1969: Member, Umno Supreme Council.
Sept 1969: Expelled from Umno for disciplinary reasons. Re-admitted on March 7, 1972.
June 1972: Elected a member of the Umno Supreme Council with the highest number of votes. Lost in the election for an Umno Vice-President post.
Dec 1972: Appointed a Senator by the Kedah State Legislative Assembly.
1974-2004: MP for Kubang Pasu, Kedah.
Sept 1974: Education Minister.
June 1975: Umno Vice-President.
March 1976: Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Education.
1977: Acting Chairman, Umno Liaison Committee, Malacca.
Jan 1978: Deputy Prime Minister & Trade and Industry Minister.
May 1978: Chairman, Perak Umno Liaison Committee.
Sept 1978: Umno Deputy President.
June 1981: Barisan Nasional Chairman.
June 1981: Umno President.
July 16 1981: Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Minister of Defence (until 1986) and Minister of Home Affairs (until 1999).
July 17 1987: Umno Political Bureau Chairman.
Feb 16 1988: Pro-tem President of Umno Baru. Umno was declared an illegal society on Feb 4, 1988.
Dec 1993: Kelantan Umno Chairman. Chairman, Politics and Constitution Committees of the Supreme Council.
Sept 1998-Jan 1999: Finance Minister. June 2001 - Finance Minister.
June 22 2002: Announced his intention to resign from all political and government posts at the final day of the 56th Umno assembly. Appeals from Umno Supreme Council members.
Oct 31 2003: Retired as PM and Umno president after 22 years.
Sept 2006: Fails in bid to be an Umno delegate for the Umno general assembly coming in ninth out of 15 contestants in the Kubang Pasu division.
May 19 2008: Quits Umno
Source: thestaronline
Damage: A lot’ and HUGE to UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
