UMNO must be brave or lose support: Muhyiddin

PAGOH — Sacked Malaysian deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today (July 31) he will not leave UMNO as he still had lot to do given the current political situation in the country, adding that the party had to be “brave and stern” or risk losing support.

“I pray that the party leadership will be given the guidance to do the right things so that the people will continue to support it,” he told a gathering of his constituents in his Pagoh parliamentary constituency, after Friday prayers today (July 31).

“If there is no brave and stern action by the party, the people will not have faith in UMNO and Barisan Nasional.”

Mr Muhyiddin remains deputy president of UMNO, despite being axed from his Cabinet post by the prime minister, who is also UMNO’s president.

The veteran leader said his life and struggle had been for UMNO for so long that he could never be persuaded to leave the party.

“There is no need for anybody to persuade me to join any other party. I am a hardcore UMNO member,” said Mr Muhyiddin, adding that he would continue with his duties as a deputy party president.

His visit to his constituency today was his first since being axed as deputy prime minister and education minister in a cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday.

Mr Muhyiddin before that had been openly questioning Prime Minister Najib Razak’s handling of debt-ridden state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Mr Muhyiddin told the congregation that he would continue to work in the interests of Pagoh constituents, adding that his journey in politics began in this seat in 1978.

“I have served the people of Pagoh for 37 years as an MP or state assemblyman and I will continue to serve the people,” he said.

Mr Najib’s changes to the Cabinet comes at a time when a special task force is probing 1MDB as well as claims that US$700 million (S$963.0 million) had been channelled into his personal accounts. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER