KHAIRY: UMNO RIGHT TO SACK MUKHRIZ, MUHYIDDIN
Admission of plot to topple PM shows decision was justified, says Youth chief
UMNO’S decision to sack Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and former deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last year was justified, said Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday.
Khairy said this following Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s admission that he had wanted to depose Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak since 2014.
“He (Dr Mahathir) has confirmed that the plot in Umno (conspiring to topple a democratically-elected leader) had begun a few years ago.
“The move to sack Mukhriz and Muhyiddin was, therefore, correct. We do not need wolves in sheep’s clothing.
“This confirms everything we have been thinking all this while (existence of a movement to topple the government),” Khairy said after opening Jerantut Umno division’s Wanita, Puteri and Youth delegates’ meetings here yesterday.
Khairy said Umno Youth wanted Dr Mahathir to explain why he was now supporting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after 18 years of enmity.
“Did Dr Mahathir obtain different information that had led him to decide that the move to sack Anwar in 1998 was not proper?
“This is a matter of principle. Have the reasons (for Anwar’s sacking in 1998) changed? If Dr Mahathir feels the reasons are unchanged, then why did he change his stand and choose to work together (with Anwar)?”
Dr Mahathir had made the admission at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Friday.
While testifying as a second witness in his son Mukhriz’s defamation case, Dr Mahathir had also admitted that he was not concerned that his actions would affect Umno.
In Maran , Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim said Dr Mahathir would only be able to unseat Najib through the ballot box.
He said the government would only change if Pakatan Harapan could form the majority in Parliament in the general election,
“Dr Mahathir, through his PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), has only one seat (in Parliament).
“This is a difficult hurdle to overcome,” he said after officiating the Maran Wanita Umno division delegates’ meeting here yesterday.
Shahidan was commenting on a statement by Dr Mahathir that he had been trying to topple Najib since 2014.
In Johor Baru, Johor Umno Youth chief Hahasrin Hashim said Dr Mahathir’s assumption that his actions would not harm Umno was dangerous.
He said Dr Mahathir’s intention to unseat Najib, which was based on unproven allegations, was irresponsible and unbecoming of him.
“Why would dismantling the leadership of a party and the country’s top administration not harm the organisation?
“Such assumptions are too dangerous, especially when they are founded on accusations that are either unproven or incorrect,” said Hahasrin yesterday.
“Therefore, this assumption by Dr Mahathir is very irresponsible, especially for a seasoned politician and a statesman of his calibre.” Additional reporting by Chuah Bee Kim