KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — Datuk A. Kadir Jasin today refuted Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's denouncement of claims painting him as a traitor, despite the latter abandoning the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and more importantly Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to form the Perikatan Nasional government.
The veteran pressman alleged that Muhyiddin was part of a grand scheme to take Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) out of PH to cooperate with Umno and PAS, a proposal Kadir claimed was almost forced onto Dr Mahathir during the party’s Supreme Council meeting on February 23.
Kadir claimed only a minority of the supreme council members, showed their backing towards Dr Mahathir during that meeting, while those who usually back him had shifted and threw their support towards Muhyiddin.
“I am sorry to say, a majority of the supreme council members that met that Sunday, February 23, were as though they were possessed by demons because they were relentless in trying to persuade Dr Mahathir to agree that they pull Bersatu out of PH to join Umno and PAS.
“The former political secretary to Dr Mahathir, (Muhammad) Zahid Mat Arip, even banged the table and for the first time showed his support for Muhyiddin. What I know is that he used to hate Muhyiddin,” Kadir said in a statement on his Facebook.
Kadir alleged that notable supreme council members who also persuaded Dr Mahathir was former entrepreneur development minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Mohd Yusof, Melaka Bersatu state deputy chief Datuk Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen, and PTPTN chairman Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
He said through the agenda presented in that supreme council meeting, it was clear that a conspiracy to leave PH and join forces with Umno had been planned and calculated for some time and involved characters from Bersatu, Umno, PAS and PKR.
“It is clear Dr Mahathir was also betrayed by former Umno characters who he allowed into Bersatu such as (Datuk Seri) Hamzah Zainuddin and (Datuk Seri) Mustapha Mohamed.
“It seems as though there is an effort to take over Bersatu by these Umno immigrants,” he said.
Kadir added that the recent appointment of Umno’s Datuk Hasni Mohammad as Johor’s Mentri Besar and the same potentially happening to other states proved his claims that a takeover is a possible eventuality.
“Muhyiddin is an honourable person, but if this is not betrayal, then what is?
“So, when Muhyiddin says he did not betray Dr Mahathir, it is only a semantic, between what is written and what was implied.
“Once again Dr Mahathir was betrayed and humiliated by those he trusted in,” Kadir added.
Muhyiddin was sworn in as Malaysia’s eighth Prime Minister on Monday, behind him the Perikatan Nasional coalition comprising of Bersatu, Umno, PAS, MCA and MIC.
The change of government effectively puts PH, now officially only consisting of PKR, DAP, Parti Amanah Negara, as the Opposition bloc.
