Minister backs Zahid, says DPM must have ‘basis’ behind SD ouster plot

(Malay Mail Online) – Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak has defended Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s claim that an Umno leader was conspiring with opposition lawmakers to overthrow the Barisan Nasional (BN) regime through the “backdoor”, saying today the Deputy Prime Minister must have some basis to assert such a claim.

“To me, (Zahid) must have done so because he has basis (to believe so),” news portal Malaysiakini quoted Salleh as saying at a news conference after the ‘Kayuhan Sehati Sejiwa’ event earlier this morning.

Salleh stressed that as a democratic country, any change in government in Malaysia should only be done through the ballot box.

“Since our independence day, we in Malaysia have always practised the concept of one vote for every free person,” he reportedly said.

In his speech to Ampang Umno delegates earlier today, Zahid claimed an Umno leader, whom he declined to name, was trying to get lawmakers from both sides of the political divide to sign an SD to show that they had the majority voice to move a no-confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat.

Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told Umno delegates in Semporna, Sabah a few hours later that he would be “stupid” to want to topple the BN government he helped to build.

Discontent appears to be brewing within Umno in at least three states: Johor, Sabah and Kedah since the removal of Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal from Cabinet following their vocal criticism of the government’s handling of 1MDB.

Despite their axing from government, the two senior Umno leaders hold much swap among party grassroot leaders in its Johor fortress and Sabah, considered a BN “fixed deposit” for elections.