Muhyiddin ready to fight Najib to the end, say observers
(The Malaysian Insider) – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin no longer cares about the risks he is taking and is bent on fighting Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the end, say observers, as the party prepares to meet tomorrow.
The Umno deputy president will address supporters at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, tonight, after being barred from speaking at the general assembly.
Observers see this as his willingness to be suspended, or even sacked.
“It looks like Muhyiddin no longer cares about the action he could face. “He will fight the president,” Pokok Sena Umno activist Ramli Yunus told The Malaysian Insider.
The party’s Kota Raja division head, Mohd Hamidi Abu Bakar, felt that Muhyiddin was anticipating the punishment he could face, using the gathering to continue his attacks on Najib.
“Muhyiddin stands to face stern action, but we respect his bravery.
“This will be his platform to speak as an Umno member before his anticipated sacking from the party,” said Hamidi.
He said Muhyiddin appeared to be pressured between his political future and the grassroots who want him to continue speaking up, and this time, he has chosen the future of the party over his own political survival.
“Many politicians are worried, we actually want to keep Muhyiddin and hope he won’t be sanctioned. But the grassroots want him to speak up, I think Muhyiddin is placing the party’s importance above himself,” he added.
Hamidi did not discount the fact that the deputy president’s support base might grow, or at least, the grassroots would know why he no longer supported Najib.
“This is the start of a bigger movement so that Umno members understand why there are some who are not on the same page with the president,” he said.
Party sources have confirmed that a few top and veteran leaders would attend today’s gathering in Kampung Baru, including former president, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
There is also the grassroots movement among disgruntled branch leaders, dubbed Gabungan Ketua Cawangan Malaysia (GKCM) or “Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia”, who said they, too, would attend today’s gathering.
