Saifuddin shouldn't be punished, say political analysts

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno should not punish former Deputy Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah for attending an opposition MPs round-table conference, said political analysts.
Instead, Umno should feel honoured that one of their own was invited to speak at the event.
They said penalising Saifuddin would be counter productive.
"He was merely giving his take on the issues of the day which is the formation of a new opposition coalition," said Dr Sivamurugan Pandyan of USM.
"Such practices are allowed in countries practicing democracy," he said, adding further that Saifuddin did not run down Umno or BN at the round-table conference.
He said even Umno’s disciplinary committee chairman Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas had reportedly disagreed with the idea of taking action against Saifuddin, adding that Saifuddin had not criticised Umno at the Sept 21 meeting.
Another analyst Dr Denison Jayasooria said Umno should consider Saifuddin an expert on opposition political parties.
"The smart thing to do is to invite him to give a talk on the thinking of opposition parties to BN strategists,'' he said.
Saifuddin risked disciplinary action after Umno secretary general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor issued a letter requesting him to show cause for his action.
He has replied to the letter requesting additional details.