Umno should boot out Muhyiddin or Najib, says Zam

The Umno number two has cast doubts on the party’s recent loyalty pledge towards president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin ventures that in the wake of controversial statements made on 1MDB by party deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, the Umno Supreme Council should be called into emergency session to reaffirm the loyalty pledge it earlier took towards party president Najib Abdul Razak.

“The people’s reservations on the solidarity and stability of the party cannot be allowed to continue until its election as the immediate effects (of the statement) are there on its future .”

According to Zainuddin, the need for the emergency session follows Muhyiddin’s statement casting doubts on the loyalty pledge among Umno leaders and members in general. “His complaint that Najib doesn’t listen to him has confirmed former party president Mahathir’s belief and that of many others too that the party president doesn’t listen to anyone.”

Muhyiddin, added Zainuddin, has clearly come on the side of Mahathir since he doesn’t want Najib to wait for the outcome of the Auditor-General’s probe of the 1MDB accounts and instead feels that the Board should step down and be investigated by the police.

The former Information Minister recalled that a precedent was set on 26 September, 1969 when the Umno Supreme Council went into emergency session and expelled Mahathir. The expulsion was based on a complaint by then party president Tunku Abdul Rahman that there were extremist elements in the party out to seize power.

“Likewise, the Umno Supreme Council should be summoned to discuss whether Muhyiddin should be expelled,” said Zainuddin. “If Muhyiddin was not expelled, then a solution must be found to maintain party solidarity i.e. either Muhyiddin or Najib should step down.”

Zainuddin conceded that Muhyiddin’s gathering was behind closed-doors but a video of it was released to coincide with the tabling of the 11th Malaysia Plan by Najib and went viral to an extent that it drew all the attention away from the launch in Parliament.

“Najib can now no longer retain the confidence and support of the people on the basis that he has the Umno Supreme Council and the Umno divisional chiefs behind him,” said Zainuddin.

“Muhyiddin’s statement clearly shows that there’s no solidarity in the party to face the threat posed by Mahathir, 1MDB and economic and political crisis.”

The deputy president’s firm stand on 1MDB cannot be trivialized as he too has strong support within the party, said Zainuddin. “It has created an emergency situation in the party and shaken its confidence and that of the people too.”

Muhyiddin, he continued, can no longer camouflage the fact that he’s on the same page as Mahathir who wants the 1MDB scandal dealt with before it destroys Umno.