KUALA LUMPUR: Former Information Minister Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir yesterday resigned from Umno of which he had been a member for 56 years.
He said in a statement that he had sent the letter of resignation to Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
He also said that last week he had resigned as the treasurer of the Kulim-Bandar Baharu Umno Division in Kedah.
When contacted by Bernama yesterday, Abdul Kadir, who is a former MP of Kulim Bandar Baharu, declined to say whether he would join any other political party or set up a political party.
Recently, he had come under criticism for declining to state whether he supported the Barisan Nasional (BN) or the opposition following his claim in January that the BN had bought votes for between RM200 and RM1,000 in the last general election, in 2008.
Tengku Adnan had said that it was improper for Abdul Kadir to have issued statements which could undermine the party’s image.
He had also asked why Abdul Kadir did not resign from Umno if he felt that the party was not doing the right thing.
Abdul Kadir, besides being a minister, had also served as deputy minister, parliamentary secretary and political secretary over a span of 30 years.
In the statement, he said he had been a member of Umno since 1956. — Bernama