Has Muhyiddin made his choice?
(NST) – TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin could have acceded to calls from Umno delegates to reconcile with his boss Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
By any account, it is hard to argue that he was only given a slap on the wrist despite defiantly going ahead with his attack against his boss in Kampung Baru on Monday.
Consequently, he was barred from speaking at the assembly and instead, swiftly turned to the social media to air his “grouses”.
Despite his trangressions, the delegates stepped up calls for him to reconcile with Najib for the sake of the party.
Much to their chagrin, Muhyiddin chose to remain defiant and launched another blistering assault on Najib yesterday.
Some had wrongly described Muhyiddin’s decision to hold the gathering at Sultan Sulaiman Club on Monday as his first act of burning bridges.
In retrospect, Muhyiddin had sparked the fire at his first press conference at his Bukit Damansara house several days after he was dropped from the Cabinet in late July.
The words he uttered on that day were deep insinuations against Najib. What happened from then until the Kampung Baru rally where Muhyiddin had called for Najib to take leave from office as prime minister, would surely leave the party no choice but to dish out disciplinary action.
It would be hard to argue that Muhyiddin doesn’t deserve it.
The bond between Umno members has long been traditionally forged by deep friendship and fierce loyalty.
The Malay custom of respecting elders or leaders is also part and parcel of the Umno psyche.
When these are under threat, parity must be swiftly restored – no matter how hard the decision is.
Regardless of his stature in Umno or the services he had rendered, Muhyiddin is still a party member bound by Umno rules and regulations.
It would be questionable if such transgressions are not reciprocated accordingly. An example needs to be made and a number of party insiders are adamant that Muhyiddin should be at least suspended.
There is also a possibility of him being banned from contesting for party positions or seats in the general election, as stipulated under Article 20.9 (c) of the party constitution.
His latest Facebook posting on Najib’s policy speech yesterday elicited disappointment from several Umno leaders.
“Muhyiddin has even suggested that the president is a person who does not adhere to God’s law. Muhyiddin has (clearly) gone overboard,” said Umno supreme council member Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, during the wing’s assembly, spoke on the need for the two leaders to reconcile and likened the situation to children finding themselves lost when their parents separate.
The Wanita and Puteri wings too had expressed similar hope.
“It (Muhyiddin’s belligerence) has negated all efforts for reconciliation. Secondly, it is as if he had ignored the sentiments of the delegates who wanted clarity in the party’s leadership,” said another Umno supreme council member, Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi.
It seems Muhyiddin has made his choice. Some have remarked that it seems that “he is asking to be sacked”. It seems that he has made up Umno’s mind with his latest antics.
