Nazri: Muhyiddin wanted to be PM, Shafie DPM

Supreme Council member claims party aware of conspiracy since the middle of last year. 

 

(FMT) – Former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was suspected of being involved in a conspiracy to oust his boss Najib Razak almost a year ago, outspoken Umno Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz said.

Nazri said the meeting between Muhyiddin, who was deputy prime minister, and the then Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, was proof that the Pagoh MP, along with “several other” dissidents, had been working towards ousting Najib over the 1MDB controversy.

“I am perplexed how a deputy prime minister could easily call to meet the AG. He can’t do it. If the DPM wants to summon the AG, he must also call in the Cabinet members.

“Therefore, I agree with (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department) Azalina Othman that there were signs of a conspiracy,” he told FMT in an interview on Sunday.

Following his suspension from Umno last week, Muhyiddin said Gani had shown him evidence, while both were still in office, of a “criminal act” involving funds that were transferred from SRC International, then a subsidiary of 1MDB, into the prime minister’s personal bank account in 2013.

Azalina, also an Umno Supreme Council member, had earlier said Muhyiddin’s disclosure of his meeting with Gani was solid evidence of a high-level conspiracy to unseat Najib through undemocratic means.

Nazri also said what Gani had allegedly told Muhyddin at their meeting could not be considered as proof as it had not been brought to court and was based on an ongoing investigation.

The Padang Rengas MP claimed this was simply a plan by Muhyiddin to become the PM and to do this he had recruited Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal. He added that they were supported in this by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his son, Mukhriz.

Muhyiddin and Shafie were sacked from the Cabinet in July last year while Mukhriz was replaced as the Kedah menteri besar last month. Mahathir, meanwhile, announced his resignation from Umno yesterday.

Nazri said the agenda was for Muhyiddin to “take down” Najib and for Shafie to become his deputy in government. He said Shafie wanted to be DPM, but he could not as Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is more senior, stood in the way.

Nazri said Muhyiddin was “unhappy” with the backing for Najib and had even declined the opportunity to help Najib over the 1MDB issue.

“I don’t care, I need to tell this. One day, in the middle of last year, Ahmad Shabery Cheek (minister of agriculture and agro-based industry) suggested that as the 1MDB issue was very complex and there was a need for consistency in the answers, Muhyiddin should be appointed the spokesperson.

“As the number two, he should have taken the responsibility, but we were shocked when he said no,” said Nazri.

Asked why it had taken so long for Umno to take action against Muhyiddin, he said the party had no proof then and had, therefore, given Muhyiddin some leeway as he had not spoken outside the party channels.

“Also, we were all in the Umno general assembly mood and wanted to stay united. Najib at the time had offered the olive branch. So we relaxed. So when the (new) AG announced there was no case (against Najib), we as Umno members were relieved. If after this anyone were to bring the matter up it would not be an Umno member but someone from the Opposition.

“But then Muhyiddin met 13 branch members (in Port Dickson) and instead of diffusing the situation, he agitated and incited them. That is when we decided we would need to take action. He knows what he did was wrong, so no need for a show cause letter,” he added.