It’s grassroots vs division leaders, says Umno rebel

'Anti-Najib feelings are so widespread that there's every chance of Umno members causing BN's defeat in the polls.'

PETALING JAYA: There is every chance that enough Umno members will vote against the party in the next general election to cause the defeat of Barisan Nasional, according to a rebel grassroots leader.

Faizal Abdul Raub, who recently quit all his executive positions in Umno’s Hulu Selangor division, claims that the majority of party members at the grassroots are against the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

He told FMT today that he based his assessment on postings on social media, especially Umno WhatsApp groups, as well as on his own informal research.

According to him, most grassroots members had decided to take the side of Deputy Umno President Muhyiddin Yassin against the party president. “Only the division leaders are supporting Najib,” he said.

“What has become an issue is that the division leaders are preventing the grassroots from openly criticizing Najib and his company by threatening to have them sacked if they speak up.”

He said he was “frightened” that Umno might lose power because there were indications that the grassroots, “especially the younger generation,” would refuse to vote for the party and its Barisan Nasional partners in the next election.

“This is what Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Tun Mahathir and many other Umno loyalists fear,” he added.

He described Muhyiddin as a “true Malay warrior” who was willing to sacrifice his own interests in his fight for national interests.

“If position and personal gain were his interests, it would be absurd for him to speak up against the boss,” he said.