Sabah CM issue: Najib does not understand my comments, says Muhyiddin
KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he had floated Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s name as a Sabah chief minister candidate merely as a suggestion at first, before the state election in September 2020.
Chiding former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for not understanding his comments, Muhyiddin said it was still subject to agreement from other parties, Umno included, which Bersatu worked with during the state election.
“Maybe Najib just does not understand the language I used. When I said Umno did not name a candidate for the Sabah chief minister post until the end of the campaign period, that was a fact.
“You cannot expect me to wait until we finished campaigning before naming a candidate,” said Muhyiddin in a Facebook post on Friday.
Muhyiddin added that when he announced Hajiji’s name as Perikatan Nasional’s candidate for the Sulaman state seat, he had suggested that “in case our friends in Perikatan, Barisan Nasional and others agreed, Hajiji would be the best to offer as a candidate to lead Sabah”.
“I repeat, it was just a suggestion, in case our allies agreed to it.
“I put it prudently. If Najib cannot understand what I said, what can I do?” he said.
Earlier on Friday, Muhyiddin called on Najib to focus on bringing political stability to the country instead of raising issues that were resolved long ago, citing the 2020 Sabah state election.
“I find it weird and amazing that a former prime minister like him can continue raising issues that have already been resolved.
“The Sabah government has already been formed and is working very well with good cooperation and understanding.
“I don’t know what else he wants to uncover ... (or) his tricks and motive,” he said a er launching Perikatan Nasional’s Jualan Prihatin Rakyat programme in Pagoh.
Muhyiddin also questioned why Najib was allegedly “picking a fight” and “causing instability in the country.
“He should instead be focusing on maintaining stability.
“Sabah is a unique state where we (Bersatu) are still with Umno under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah umbrella,” he said.
Refuting Muhyiddin’s earlier Facebook post on Thursday who said that he waited until the end of the Sabah state elections campaign period before naming Hajiji as the candidate for chief minister, Najib said he had receipts to prove it.
Muhyiddin had claimed in a statement that he spoke to Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to name a candidate from Umno.
“However, Zahid did not name anyone until the end of the campaign period for the Sabah polls. That is why I named Hajiji as the candidate from Perikatan Nasional (PN) if the coalition won the largest number of seats among the parties that form Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS),” the PN chairman said.
Najib said the facts state otherwise.
“The internet never forgets. He (Muhyiddin) announced that Hajiji would become the next chief minister on Sept 12, 2020, which was the nomination day. It also marked the beginning of the campaign period. So how can you say that you waited until the campaign period ended when you had already named Hajiji as the next chief minister?
“He (Muhyiddin) had planned this much earlier, not until the campaign period ended like what he claims,” the former prime minister said in a posting on Facebook, along with screenshots of news articles to back up his claim.
Commenting on the seats won by Bersatu, Najib said that the seats were Umno’s traditional seats.
“Umno was asked to give those seats to Bersatu. The party was also asked to campaign for Bersatu candidates. Umno won 14 seats, Bersatu won 11. But Bersatu (Hajiji Noor) got the chief minister’s post. So, stop twisting the facts. We have always known your intention,” said the former Umno president.