If Umno members thought the ruling party's on-going annual meet would serve to unify its members and heal the party's factional woes, one Umno leader may have just spoiled their fun.

Johari Ismail, 49, an exco member of an Umno division in Johor, today lodged a police report against the party over an alleged high-level plan to bar former party president Dr Mahathir Mohamad from attending last year's annual meeting as a delegate of his Kubang Pasu division.

Johari said in his report that Umno supreme council - the party's highest decision-making body - had on Sept 28, 2006 expunged three pages of the minutes held at its previous meeting the month before which had recorded a discussion on ways to stop the former prime minister from being a delegate.

He claimed that the minutes - which had contained detailed instructions to bar Mahathir from the assembly - were expunged on party president and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's orders.

Although supreme council member Dr Rais Yatim had at the September meeting noted that the act of expunging any information from meeting minutes was a breach of regulations, Abdullah was adamant that it be done, said Johari in his report.

"Because of this, and because Umno's supreme council had on Sept 28, 2006 confirmed the minutes of the meeting which had been changed, I demand an investigation be conducted as the action clearly contravenes meeting regulations," said Johari.

"There were elements of a conspiracy to commit a 'political crime' against the former Umno president," he added.

The report was lodged at the Dang Wangi police station on Jalan Raja Abdullah, Kuala Lumpur.

At the time of the alleged plot, Mahathir was highly critical of Abdullah's leadership, claiming that his handpicked successor was mismanaging the economy and was corrupt.

Mahathir however failed in his bid to be elected as one of the Kubang Pasu division's seven delegates to attend the November Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Despite having led the division for more than 30 years, Mahathir came out ninth among the 15 candidates. His son, Mukhriz, took the fifth spot. Mahathir claimed that money politics was the major reason for his defeat.

Subsequently, five Umno members from the Kubang Pasu division had on Sept 29 last year filed complaints with the party's disciplinary board.

The party leadership has however denied any wrongdoings.

Ex-press sec of Johor MB

Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Johari cited the Umno leadership's inaction over the complaints as the reason for lodging the police report.

"I gave them a year and the benefit of the doubt because I thought perhaps they were doing something about it quietly. A year has passed, and I feel things have merely been swept under the carpet," he added.

Johari, an award-winning journalist who had also served as the press secretary of current Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman, conceded that his action was time to coincide with the party's three-day annual general assembly which will officially kick off tomorrow.

"Hopefully, the party's three million members will take heed of this (report) and (some delegates will) pursue it with the party leadership," said Johari, who belongs to the Kampung Tahang Rimau party division in Segamat, Johor.

He also said he was willing to face expulsion from the party in his efforts to expose the truth.

Johari denied he was acting under instructions from certain individuals. He said he was doing it out of loyalty to a party which he and his family had been members for a long time.

Mahathir himself has no knowledge that he was making this report, stressed Johari.

"I am an Umno member and I will always be an Umno member. I will not be running to any other party after this."