KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 – Umno is violating its own traditions by not allowing deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to launch the annual assemblies of its three wings next month, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
The former prime minister said that Muhyiddin was the second-most senior leader in the party after president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and protocol dictated that the deputy president open the meetings of the Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri movements.
“If he (Muhyiddin) wants to speak, I hope the speaker will allow him to speak, if not we don’t even have to talk about democracy...” he told reporters after closing the KL Summit at Istana Hotel here, organised by the Malaysia-Turkey Friendship Foundation (MTF) in collaboration with Malaysian Muslim Solidarity (ISMA).
In a departure from tradition, the heads of the three Umno wings will launch their respective general meetings this year instead of the deputy president as has been the practice so far.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said, however, that it was the wing heads who requested the change and denied that the move was aimed at silencing Muhyiddin.
Muhyiddin and Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal were removed from the federal Cabinet in July, ostensibly for questioning Najib’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue.
