Umno should boot out Muhyiddin or Najib, says Zam
(FMT) – The Umno number two has cast doubts on the party’s recent loyalty pledge towards president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
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.”
