Youth vote in the bag with Muhyiddin out? Think again, group tells Umno leaders

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 ― The country’s young Malays will distance themselves even further from Umno after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s suspension, a group of Umno branch chiefs calling itself the Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia (GKCM) predicted today.

The group critical of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership likened the Umno supreme council’s unanimous decision last night to strip Muhyiddin of his deputy presidency to the return of the dark ages in the party.

“With Muhyiddin’s suspension, the practice of democracy and freedom of speech in Umno is dead.

“Is this the wisest move to draw the younger generation to support Umno in the next GE? Certainly not,” its secretariat said in a statement.

It added that today’s youth have grown up in a “borderless world” in which the right to express their opinions is a given and the Umno leadership’s action against Muhyiddin is deepening the rift between the youngsters and their elders.

“While the youths are comfortable with globalisation, the Umno supreme council is still living under a rock.

“Slowly, the youths will distance themselves from Umno which they view as lacking in confidence,” GKCM said.

The group with former prime minister-turned-government critic Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as patron has cast its support for Muhyiddin, whom they see as one striving to reform the party from within.

“GKCM will maintain its efforts towards reforming the party which is already knocking on the door of destruction,” it said.

The group announced it will hold a special prayer session for the Almighty to rain judgment on members of the Umno supreme council who had unanimously voted to suspend Muhyiddin yesterday.

“We will also publicly list all those who attended yesterday so that voters will know them and not vote them at the next GE.

“We will also expose their wrongdoings in the party,” the group said in concluding remarks.

GKCM has said it aims to gain the support of 20 to 30 branches per division on raising a motion for the president’s resignation and for party elections to be held.

There are 191 divisions in Umno nationwide.