Lau Zhe Wei from the International Islamic University Malaysia said bringing back former leaders with strong influence at the state or national level, such as Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, could have a major impact for Umno at the polls.
However, he added that it would be difficult for Umno to accept former leaders who had joined the opposition and continued to criticise the party, such as Arau MP Shahidan Kassim, Muafakat Nasional chairman Annuar Musa, and former Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar.
“Leaders like Khairy and Shahril still have a significant chance of being reinstated – it’s just a matter of whether they want to return or not,” Lau told FMT.
“If leaders like Tajuddin are reinstated, the effect will mainly be on internal politics, but if individuals like Khairy return, the impact is expected to be more significant.
“Someone like Tajuddin only criticised Zahid, not the party itself. While people like him can be welcomed back, figures like Shahidan, Annuar, and Noh – who have joined other parties and been vocal against Umno – will find it harder to return.”
The Umno Supreme Council unanimously agreed to lift the six-year suspension of Tajuddin’s membership on Monday.
Tajuddin, who was an Umno Supreme Council member for 15 years and the Pasir Salak Umno chief for 18 years, was suspended after publicly criticising Zahid’s leadership.
His criticism of Zahid shortly before the 2022 general election (GE15) came after his removal as a Supreme Council member in June that same year.
In January 2023, meanwhile, the Umno Supreme Council sacked Khairy and Noh from the party for breaching party discipline during GE15.
Former vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein and former information chief Shahril Hamdan were among those handed six-year suspensions.
Ahmad Maslan, who was Umno secretary-general at the time, said the individuals were penalised for violating party discipline during GE15, and that action was taken against them in line with the Umno constitution.
Another political analyst, Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya, said Umno’s move to reinstate Tajuddin signalled the party’s willingness to forgive and welcome back members who demonstrate loyalty.
He said the move seemed to be aimed at regaining support from members and voters with the hope of improving the party’s performance at the upcoming general election.
“Overall, revoking Tajuddin’s suspension reflects Umno’s efforts to strengthen its internal unity,” he said.