Muhyiddin: I will toe party line
> ‘Let Umno whip decide in the event of no-confidence vote in PM’
PETALING JAYA: Former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday said he would adhere to party orders in the event a vote of no confidence was called against the prime minister.
“I will follow party orders. However, I do not know what will happen in Parliament. Let us see what transpires.
“As a responsible party member, I will make a decision which will be decided by the party whip ... this is the same as in all previous parliamentary matters,” he said.
He was responding to reports that several opposition MPs had called on their colleagues and progressive Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs to move a vote of no confidence against Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to create a “transition government” with an interim prime minister.
Speaking at a press conference at his house, Muhyiddin also said he will continue with his duties as Umno deputy president and BN deputy chairman.
He said he will do his best to cooperate with Najib and other BN component party leaders.
“As a deputy president (of Umno), it is my responsibility to help the people and the country,” he said, adding that it is important to bring unity to Umno.
“There must be party unity, and there should not be any clashes among its members which could create a crisis. If we fight, we will lose out,” he said.
He told the packed press conference that he will not allow his sacking from the Cabinet to affect him or the party.
Muhyiddin was removed as deputy prime minister and education minister on Tuesday in Najib’s Cabinet reshuffle, along with several other ministers.
Muhyiddin also called on his supporters to keep calm, thanking them for their support.
“This is human behaviour ... to feel disappointed. But they should prioritise the party and country, and I hope they do not cause trouble or strife, which could make things harder for me to carry out my duties,” he said.
Muhyiddin added that his supporters should be allowed to vent their frustration for awhile, before resuming their duties for the people.
When asked about the decision by Najib to postpone Umno party polls by 18 months, he said the decision was made in the past as well.
“We do not want party members to be distracted by it, as there will be people vying for positions in the party, but we want them to focus on the big picture, which is to be united to face the general election,” he said.
Muhyiddin also said that he only found out about his removal a mere few hours before it was announced to the public.
He said he was attending an event in Negri Sembilan and received an urgent message for him to meet Najib immediately.
“It turns out later that the event was to be my last official function as deputy prime minister,” he said.
He said he arrived in the prime minister’s office about 11.30am, but did not get to see Najib until 12.15pm.
He said Najib asked him to explain his remarks over the 1MDB controversy and he duly complied, with Najib seemingly accepting his explanation.
Muhyiddin then asked his boss if asking him for an explanation was related to the Cabinet reshuffle, to which Najib simply nodded.
“He (Najib) seemed to be at a loss for words, so I asked him if I am not in the new line-up. He nodded again. So I just said ‘thank you’,” he said.
Asked about former attorneygeneral Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s termination, he said he will not question the government’s decision but his successor, Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, has a huge job ahead of him.
He said Mohamed Apandi will have to bring a good closure to the long-drawn-out 1MDB issue .