Former Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Junid had last Thursday said he could be sacked from his post as International Islamic University (UIA) president as a punishment for quitting Umno.

At a press conference today, Sanusi revealed that he had indeed received a letter dated June 2 that his post in UIA had been terminated effective on that day.

sanusi junid 050608 According to Sanusi, he only received the letter yesterday. The letter, which was signed by UIA constitutional head Sultan Ahmad Shah, did not provide any reason for the abrupt termination.

“I have done nothing wrong and I have not used the post for my own political ends,” decried Sanusi in an 18-page statement.

He said that the contract for the university post, which pays a monthly allowance of RM5,000, is not due to expire for another two years.

Sanusi added that since he has close ties with the Pahang sultan, the termination could only come from the advice of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The former cabinet minister had last month quit Umno along with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a protest against Abdullah’s refusal to resign as party leader.

The duo had vowed to only return to the party after Abdullah had stepped down.

Following this, Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin had hinted that Sanusi could be sacked if the former MB, who is a close Mahathir ally, had used his university position for “political purposes”.

Sacking an ‘act of revenge’

In an immediate reaction, Mahathir has described the sacking of Sanusi as an “act of revenge”.

mahathir touchdown in subang meet supporters 270508 loud speaker “It’s a coincidence that just one day after he campaigned for my son in Jerlun (parliamentary seat), the office of UIA Holdings Sdn Bhd, which is owned by UIA, was raided by the Anti-Corruption Agency. They found no evidence of wrongdoing by the company or Sanusi,” he wrote in his blog today.

“I have also heard that Mokhzani, who has quit Umno, be sacked from his post as the Sepang International Circuit chairman,” said Mahathir, referring to his son.

He lamented that Umno is taking such government posts as its own property, to be given to party supporters as a reward or be taken away if they refuse to toe the line.

“It appeared that the government enjoys punishing those who refuse to ‘kowtow’ to certain parties.”