Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took out his frustration on Umno ministers after failing to find support for a declaration of emergency, ostensibly to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to people familiar with the incident, Muhyiddin was unhappy at the fact that the cabinet, which included Umno ministers, agreed to propose a declaration of emergency to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong only to see Umno later turning against the decision when the ruler rejected the proposal.
A party source close to the top Umno leadership, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Muhyiddin took out on Umno ministers during a cabinet meeting on Oct 28 through video conferencing over the inconsistent position of Umno and its ministers.
"Muhyiddin questioned Umno's previous position which unanimously supported the Perikatan Nasional government's proposal for an emergency but after the Agong rejected it, they expressed support for the Agong instead," the source told Malaysiakini.
The source added that this was what prompted a statement to be released after a hastily convened Umno supreme council meeting on Oct 29.
It was the second Umno supreme council meeting to be convened in less than a week after the Agong rejected the emergency proposal on Oct 25.
"Umno was dissatisfied at the fact that Muhyiddin had attacked Umno ministers during the cabinet meeting...
"That is why Umno held two Umno supreme council meetings in a week," he said.
'A warning for Muhyiddin'
The Umno supreme council leaders were tight-lipped after the meeting but the source said this discontent was reflected in the statement despite it being diplomatically crafted.
The statement put out by the Umno supreme council had included a paragraph which read: "Any quarter who questions Umno's decision to support the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's and Malay rulers' decision is irresponsible and regretted.
"If Umno's position is continued to be questioned, Umno will not hesitate to take firm action to defend the sovereignty of the rulers and the people's interest," added the statement.
The source said while the statement may not be clear to be public who did not have the context, it was intended as a warning.
"The warning was clearly for Muhyiddin and Bersatu," said the source.
The source added that Muhyiddin's actions had ruffled feathers and at least six out of nine Umno ministers had protested when the prime minister targeted them during the cabinet meeting.
Umno 'bashing' did not sit well
During the Umno supreme council meeting, the ministers were asked to explain what had transpired during the cabinet meeting a day before.
"During the supreme council meeting, a minister was asked to explain the cabinet incident.
"After explaining Muhyiddin's attack on the Umno ministers, the minister said he was prepared to resign with five other ministers," said the source.
However, the ministers were told not to rock the boat until after the Covid-19 pandemic is under control.
Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi confirmed the incident and described Muhyiddin taking out on the Umno ministers as a "bashing" (dibelasah).
He added that Umno ministers would not have been targeted if Muhyiddin was "honest" about his true reason in wanting to declare an emergency.
Muhyiddin had said that an emergency was necessary to postpone the Batu Sapi by-election and Sarawak election.
However, Umno deputy president Mohamed Hasan has shot down his reasoning, stating that the incumbent party in Batu Sapi could be given a walkover to prevent a by-election while the Sarawak election is not due in 10 months.
Puad also described Muhyiddin's administration as the "113 government" in reference to his fragile majority. Muhyiddin only has the support of 113 MPs in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat, with the defection of three MPs enough to bring down his government.
This has also posed a problem for Muhyiddin in passing the Budget 2021 this month as it will also serve as a confidence vote which his government has tried to stop.
Umno had previously threatened to withdraw from Muhyiddin's government if he did not strike a "new deal" with them.
Umno had also complained that Muhyiddin has been avoiding them on negotiating the new deal.
The opposition has offered Muhyiddin a way out if he negotiates a bipartisan budget and the negotiations are now underway. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.