KUALA LUMPUR – Cabinet members have expressed resounding support for embattled Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin after their weekly meeting today.
“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.”
The statement comes after Umno officially withdrew support for Muhyiddin following its Supreme Council meeting last week.
Party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the Barisan Nasional lynchpin will no longer back the prime minister, and that there will be no compromise on the matter.
Umno called on Muhyiddin to step down honourably and make way for a new prime minister, with the focus being on putting Malaysia back on track amid the pandemic.
Zahid said the new prime minister must call a general election after the country attains herd immunity, so as to have a stable government in place.
His announcement came hours after Muhyiddin appointed Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as deputy prime minister and promoted Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to “senior” status.
On Sunday, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan told The Vibes that 50 out of the 56 Supreme Council members signed a form agreeing to withdraw support for Muhyiddin prior to their Wednesday meeting.
Despite Zahid’s announcement, the party’s nine ministers have not individually called for Muhyiddin’s resignation. – The Vibes, July 14, 2021
