Muhyiddin slammed by M’sia’s ruling party for criticising 1MDB

KUALA LUMPUR — In a sign of growing disquiet among the ranks of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), politicians and supporters of Malaysia’s ruling party today (July 27) spoke out against Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who criticised 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) a day earlier.

A letter on an UMNO blog even labelled Mr Muhyiddin a traitor for betraying the party.

In a statement this evening, the Prime Minister’s Office advised Mr Muhyiddin to be careful of his remarks on 1MDB pending investigations into the debt-riddled state investment vehicle.

“It would be wise not to make statements that could cloud the people’s perception of the country’s leaders, the government and UMNO,” the statement read. “Everybody, especially the administration staff, including Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should wait for the result of the investigations,” the statement added. 

“The people’s support for the government and the party will be eroded if we fight among ourselves,” it said.

Mr Muhyiddin had said yesterday that ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), of which UMNO is the linchpin party, might not win if the general election was held today. He explained that this was because of the overwhelming negative perception of the government as a result of issues relating to 1MDB, which he reiterated Prime Minister Najib Razak had yet to fully explain.

“Who should tell you the truth? It is the Prime Minister. But he said wait for the PAC and audit report. So wait, wait and wait. I have yet to even read the (auditor-general’s) interim report,” said Mr Muhyiddin, referring to a probe by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee into the troubled 1MDB, which had come under fire for amassing a RM42 billion (S$15 billion) debt. The deputy premier said the best way to convince Malaysians now was to make all reports on the matter public. He added that Mr Najib had ignored his advice to quit as the company’s advisory board chairman.

Mr Muhyiddin’s comments over the weekend was not the first time the top leader has been critical of 1MDB, having previously called for Mr Najib to sack the firm’s board. 

Taking aim at Mr Muhyiddin, a blog run by UMNO today urged him to quit his position if he is unable to be a loyal deputy, adding that he should not have openly expressed his lack of confidence in BN winning polls due to the 1MDB fiasco.

“I understand that the truth sometimes can be bitter, but there is a way to handle this matter,” the blog post MyKMU.net said. “We won’t talk bad about our father to an outsider even if that’s the truth. A captured army commando would not reveal his team’s strategy even if that’s the truth.”

The language was even stronger in a letter published on the same blog, where UMNO supporter Amin Yatim called the Deputy Prime Minister a “traitor” not only to the party but also to the Malay people.

“If (Mr Muhyiddin) is sincere in the struggle of this scandal, (he) would say this about the 1MDB issues: That we should let the authorities investigate and search for the truth as it involves a large and complex issue,” Mr Amin wrote.

“Unfortunately, (Mr Muhyiddin) chose to thrash the President (of UMNO, Mr Najib) because you wanted to be a hero. (He) has committed treason towards the government and friends in the Cabinet.”

1MDB is currently under investigations by various government bodies.

Besides the PAC probe into its financial deals, a special government taskforce is looking into allegations by The Wall Street Journal that some US$700 million (S$957 million) had been funnelled from 1MDB into Mr Najib’s personal accounts. The Prime Minister had strongly denied taking any funds for “personal gain”.

Seeking to downplay any signs of turmoil within the party, UMNO Supreme Council member Reezal Merican Naina Merican today said that Mr Muhyiddin’s remarks should not be seen as a sign of opposition to Mr Najib, as the Deputy Prime Minister was also entitled to his own views.

“I truly hope that we don’t rush to the conclusion that Muhyiddin’s ‘criticisms and views’ are a sign of internal problems. I also hope that we take heed of Muhyiddin’s criticism while making a commitment and renewed efforts to strengthen the people’s trust in us,” Mr Reezal said in a statement today, adding that he was disappointed with how certain news portals had interpreted Mr Muhyiddin’s comments. AGENCIES