KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Ousted as deputy prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s future in Umno will be decided by members at the next party elections which is coming soon, the party’s permanent chairman Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruddin said today.
Badruddin said that though Muhyiddin is still the deputy president of the party and does not need to resign after he was bumped out of Putrajaya, the party upholds the concept of democracy, which allows its grassroots members to make the call.
“This is not important, as there will be a party election soon and it is up to the individuals in Umno, which practices democracy, to offer themselves (for Muhyiddin’s party post) or otherwise (retain Muhyiddin).
“Till now, he is still still the party’s deputy president and I urge Tan Sri Muhyiddin to continue supporting Umno’s leadership,” he told reporters when met at the Tabung Haji Group’s Hari Raya open house here.
Appearing to sooth apparent tensions between Najib and Muhyiddin, and to please the latter, Badruddin said that Muhyiddin is one of the most talented and longest serving party leaders whose wisdom is still needed in the party.
“He has to continue serving not because of his DPM post but his party post. He was elected as DPM before, and now it is Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s turn. But he (Muhyiddin) is still Umno’s deputy president.
“Leaders come and go and it doesn’t mean we don’t want (previous leaders)… but today, we want to strengthen the party to face the upcoming national polls. So, please work together and don’t have any ill intent between Umno members,” he said, advising Umno’s top leaders.
Badruddin also advised Umno members to view the Cabinet reshuffling as a “will of God” and what’s done by Najib as a move to only strengthen the party, in the latter’s capacity as the chair of Barisan Nasional (BN).
Najib this afternoon announced that Muhyiddin has been removed as his deputy owing to the latter’s public criticism of Putrajaya over its handling of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) controversy.
Muhyiddin also lost his Education portfolio in the reshuffle.
The Cabinet shake-up also saw the removal of Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, another open critic of 1MDB, as rural and regional development minister and the elevation of Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who heads the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigating the firm, to deputy home minister.
“I can accept differences of opinion and criticism as part of the decision-making process. But as Cabinet members, differences of opinion shouldn’t be expressed openly that can affect public perception towards the government,” Najib said during the press conference in his office in Putrajaya after the cabinet reshuffling announcement.
“The decision to replace Muhyiddin was a very difficult one, but I had to do it so a strong team can move forward.”
Muhyiddin had during the weekend urged Najib to satisfactorily explain the 1MDB controversy, claiming that he and other ministers were unaware of the “real facts”.
This resulted in a rare public rebuke from the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday, which urged Muhyiddin and other members of the administration not to pre-judge the ongoing investigations on 1MDB.
