KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — The decision made by Umno to disallow deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the party’s general assembly was merely a break from tradition,Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today.
The Umno MP said the party’s decision should not be viewed as undemocratic.
“That is the decision of the leadership, if the leadership felt that only the leaders of the wings would address the gatherings of the Wanita, Puteri and Pemuda not like before, it’s a breakaway from the so called tradition.
“If you regard that as tradition, I don’t think it is (against democratic process). Tradition can evolve and change, it needs not to remain static,” Tengku Razaleigh told reporters when met at the sidelines of the G25 forum titled ‘Islam in a constitutional democracy’ today.
Tengku Razaleigh or more famously known as Ku Li however refused to elaborate if the decision to disallow Muhyiddin to speak comes in the light of his fiery attacks against party president, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“That is a different context, we are talking about the general assembly. I have given my views on it in relation to what is happening in the country and around.
“What provoked the changes, that is a different matter entirely,” he stressed.
The Umno Supreme Council meeting last month decided that the assemblies of its three wings will be opened by their respective leaders.
Najib said the decision was made following the proposal by all the wings concerned.
Responding to the matter, Muhyiddin said he was shocked to learn about the decision as he had for the past six years officiated all previous assemblies in his capacity as deputy president.
