ZAHID & HADI SPEAK SOFTLY BUT START TO WIELD HUGE STICKS – AS ‘WEAKEST PM EVER’ MUHYIDDIN CONTINUES TO DITHER: NO, NO, UMNO NOT EYEING DPM POST, CLAIMS ZAHID – WHILE HADI WILLING TO ‘WORK AS FISHERMAN’ IF NOT CHOSEN FOR NO.2 POST

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today denied that the party was aiming for the post of deputy prime minister.

Zahid, who is also BN chairman, said the coalition had submitted the names of several BN MPs to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for his consideration for cabinet seats.

“However, it is the prime minister’s prerogative to decide who to appoint based on certain considerations according to the list provided by Umno and BN,” he told reporters after appearing at his graft trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Zahid, a former deputy prime minister, is facing 47 charges, 12 of them criminal breach of trust, eight corruption and 27 money-laundering, involving millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

Muhyiddin, in his special address entitled “Rayuan Kepada Rakyat Malaysia” (An Appeal to Malaysians) on Monday, had pledged to appoint cabinet members who were corruption free and had integrity and calibre. – Bernama

Vote of no-confidence against Muhyiddin disrespectful to Agong, says Hadi

TAKING a vote of no-confidence against new prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin is akin to showing distrust of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said.

He said the King had been wise in appointing Muhyiddin as the country’s eighth prime minister after seeking the views of MPs and political party heads.

“Those who want to have a vote of no-confidence, it means they don’t trust Tuanku,” Hadi told a press conference in Marang, his constituency in Terengganu, this morning.

Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister on March 1, after a plot with Umno, PAS and ex-PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, to form a new coalition.

Pakatan Harapan is disputing his majority and wants an emergency Dewan Rakyat sitting to test Muhyiddin’s majority from among MPs, but the sitting originally scheduled for March 9 has now been postponed to May 18.

Hadi also said the Perikatan Nasional government under Muhyiddin would continue parts of the PH manifesto that “are good”.

“The promises that are good, we will fulfill. If they made impossible promises, those we cannot do.”

Hadi reiterated PAS’ stand that Muhyiddin’s cabinet should only be filled with ministers “who are clean and have integrity”.

However, he added that Umno leaders facing trial in court for corruption were innocent until guilty, but said Muhyiddin would have to choose cabinet members wisely.

“It is up to the PM to choose who he wants. He should also take into account non-Muslims because we are a pluralist country, and include Sabahans and Sarawakians as well.”

Asked about talk that he was slated to for the deputy prime minister’s post, Hadi said he would leave such decisions to Muhyiddin.

“I am open to anything. It is not a must that I be chosen (for the post).

“It’s okay if I’m not chosen. I can work as a fisherman. I just want to serve the country,” he said. 

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT