KUALA LUMPUR – Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman’s claim that the move to withdraw support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is against the party’s initial plan does not hold water, a colleague argued.
In a leaked recording during the heated Supreme Council meeting last Wednesday, a livid Tajuddin was heard lashing out at the party leadership for pulling the plug on only Muhyiddin and not Perikatan Nasional (PN), as decided during its general assembly in March.
Fellow council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi, however, said since the formation of the current government last year, Umno’s backing had always been exclusive to the prime minister, not PN.
This was decided in a meeting on March 11 last year, just over a week after Muhyiddin was sworn in for the top post, he added.
“In that meeting, the Umno Supreme Council supported the appointment of the new prime minister, provided that the people’s welfare will always be prioritised, and the pandemic and economic issues be immediately resolved,” he told The Vibes.
“By that definition, it is the support for the prime minister that ought to be withdrawn, as PN didn’t even exist then.”
PN was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) last August.
“As such, the decision to withdraw support for the prime minister is more appropriate,” said Puad.
“In any case, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consented only to his appointment, and not the government. The cabinet was only formed by the prime minister later.”
He said even if there is any dispute on the matter, Umno’s constitution provides that the Supreme Council’s interpretation on issues is final, with the decision required to be tabled only at the next general assembly.
He added that Tajuddin was only one of three Supreme Council members to not agree to the withdrawal decision, with 43 others voting in favour. Ten other Umno observers present during the meeting last week also voted yes.
Hence, there is no issue arising (from Umno’s decision to pull support for Muhyiddin).”
Puad said withdrawing support for the prime minister means that the government has fallen, as was the case in Perak in December last year, when then menteri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu lost a confidence motion, triggering the collapse of the state government.
Yesterday, cabinet members, including Umno ministers, expressed resounding support for embattled Muhyiddin after their weekly meeting.
“The members of the cabinet would also like to inform that all decisions by the government are made collectively,” they said in a three-paragraph statement.
“The priority of the government is to implement the National Recovery Plan for the well-being of the rakyat and prosperity of the country, while bringing the nation out of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Following the meeting last week, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had issued a statement confirming the party was pulling its backing for Muhyiddin, and urged the prime minister to immediately step down.
This had incited several Umno MPs who were not in favour of the move to voice their disapproval publicly, including Tajuddin.
As a result of his continued public attack on Umno and Zahid, Tajuddin was on Tuesday stripped of his position as the party’s election director, with deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan taking over the role. – The Vibes, July 15, 2021
