Syed Hamid, who left Bersatu in 2022 after deciding to quit politics as a whole, said Umno was the best party for the Malays, Berita Harian reported.

“I am looking for inspiration. It might take a few days (to decide whether to stay out of active politics or rejoin Umno).

“To me, the party with the best machinery and grassroots network for the Malays is Umno,” said the 82-year-old former Umno Supreme Council member.

Several leaders have taken up Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s offer for former leaders who were sacked or suspended to return to the party with no conditions.

They include former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who was sacked from the party in 2023, and former foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who had been suspended for six years.

Syed Hamid was elected MP for Kota Tinggi in 1990 and served five terms until 2013 when he chose not to defend his seat.

He has served as justice minister, defence minister, foreign minister, and home minister, as well as chairman of the land public transport commission.

In his biography released in 2024, he admitted that joining Bersatu was a mistake, saying the party had significantly deviated from its original commitment to further the cause of the Malays and Islam.