Umno slipping into dictatorship with gags at assembly, says Musa
(TMI) – The sins of Muhyiddin, like exposing 1MDB, if you look at the list properly, you’ll say, ‘my God, he’s doing a good job. These are the issues the rakyat are raising’.
Umno’s general assembly next week will be its most important and challenging one in the country’s history, with the party already showing signs that it may slip into a dictatorship, says former Umno deputy president Tun Musa Hitam.
He said it was a mistake for Umno to try to censure deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and pretend that issues, such as 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), the RM2.6 billion donation and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s attacks, were not important enough for delegates to debate.
“The worry is that it will divide the party. But come on. A democratic party is always divided in terms of views and opinions.
“If it’s not divided, it’s a dictatorship. I tell you this, (you say) ‘yes sir’. I told you that, (you say) ‘yes sir, yes sir’,” Musa told The Malaysian Insider in an interview at his home.
He said one of the reasons next week’s general assembly would be historical was because of its departure from tradition.
He said it was “unheard of” for the Umno No. 2 not to be allowed to officiate the wings’ assemblies, pointing out he faced no restrictions when he was deputy president and at odds with then president, Dr Mahathir.
“It’s unheard of. Even though there was a fight between the two key people, I performed that function.
“And during the general assembly, I sat there as deputy president without anybody protesting, or making any attempt to get me out.”
He was also given the chance to participate in the debate and was the second last person to deliver the winding-up speech, in accordance with Umno’s tradition.
Musa resigned as deputy prime minister in early 1986, over the feud with Dr Mahathir but remained Umno deputy president.
“They might argue Muhyiddin’s case was different, he was sacked (as deputy prime minister), he’s got so many issues, he might expose this and that and the other. But what are we afraid of?”
