BAGAN DATOH, Aug 6 — Umno members should not to be driven by emotions regarding the civil suit filed by the United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ), said Umno vice president Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein. 

Hishamuddin stressed that being emotional would cause a person to not think rationally, lose focus and fail to see the full picture. 

"When we are very emotional, there will be certain parties would take advantage of it.

"We must give space and time for the truth to be revealed fairly, properly, with full accountability and in a transparent manner,” he said when opening the Bagan Datoh Umno delegates meeting here today. 

Also present was Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the division’s chief and Member of Parliament for Bagan Datoh.

Hishamuddin, who is also Defence Minister, said all parties should not pre-judge based on suspicions alone.

"The law itself remind us that ‘justice hurried is justice buried’,” he said.

He said the government and Umno would certainly not allowed anything to tarnish the country’s reputation.

"We in Umno are in line with the government’s stance that anyone who is named in the civil proceedings by the DOJ must clear their names,” he said.

On July 15, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had asked those individuals who were named in the DOJ lawsuit to quickly act to clear their names to ensure that no misuse of the public funds occurred as reported. — Bernama