Puad will move for Umno to sack Muhyiddin, Mukhriz

Muhyiddin and Mukhriz 'now stooges of DAP' for joining opposition leaders in anti-Najib declaration

PETALING JAYA: Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said today he would move for Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz Mahathir to be expelled for becoming “stooges of the DAP” and conspiring against party leader Najib Razak.

Puad told Star Online: “They should be sacked. This time, I’ll be the one who will suggest this to the supreme council.”

He accused the pair of having deliberately decided to conspire with the DAP and of becoming stooges of the DAP by taking part in Friday’s Citizens’ Declaration seeking the ouster of Najib as prime minister.

The declaration was read by Mukhriz’s father, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has waged a year-long campaign against Najib. Last week, Dr Mahathir announced he was leaving Umno. Muyhiddin, however, decided to remain a member but joined the Friday gathering, together with Mukhriz and another Supreme Council member, Shafie Apdal.

Muhyiddin and Mukhriz’s action “can no longer be forgiven”, Puad was quoted as saying.

Puad was the third Supreme Council member this weekend to talk about expelling Muhyiddin.

On Saturday, Hassan Malek had first raised the possibility of an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council, which usually meets every month. Earlier today, Nazri Aziz also spoke of expulsion, saying that was his personal view.

Nazri has previously said that he had defended Muhyiddin against expulsion when the Supreme Council last met to discuss Muhyiddin’s criticisms of Najib. Nazri said he had argued only for Muhyiddin’s suspension as deputy president, a decision eventually taken by the council.

Puad told Star Online, however, that at the council meeting he had called for Muhyiddin’s resignation. He would not urge all Umno division leaders to unite in calling for the expulsion of both Muhyiddin and Mukhriz.

He accused Muhyiddin and Mukhriz of wanting to destroy Umno from within. He said they had joined hands with the DAP and Bersih because the two men were no longer popular in Umno and needed the opposition’s expertise in exerting pressure on Najib.