KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin sought to assure Umno grassroot members today that they would not be penalised if they met with party veteran Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who appears to have fallen out of favour with the central leadership.
Khalid said Muhyiddin was still the party deputy president and should be accorded due respect, though Johor Umno had agreed to support party president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, especially in the latter’s management of the controversies surrounding his 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) brainchild.
“In Johor, I have no objections to any division that wishes to invite him to officiate its respective Umno meetings,” the Johor Umno chief said in a statement.
“I hope the people and Umno members, especially those from Johor, will be patient and find strength in these moments. May Allah give us strength to finally discover the truth,” he added, without elaborating.
Muhyiddin ended months of silence last weekend by asking Najib to explain the allegations plaguing 1MDB, claiming he and other ministers were in the dark over the state investor’s funds.
He was abruptly removed from the Najib administration yesterday as part of a Cabinet reshuffle which has sent shockwaves through the party and beyond, with analysts voicing concern over the impact of a bigger political upheaval in the ruling Barisan Nasional’s anchor party.
In an analysis today, Singapore daily Straits Times cited pundits saying Najib may face an uprising in Johor — which is Muhyiddin’s home state — and Sabah, due to the removal of party vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
Both states are considered Umno strongholds.
