Show proof of support, pro-Muhyiddin Umno MPs dared

 

Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi says “power brokers” are trying to strengthen their position in government.

PETALING JAYA: An Umno leader has called for proof from a group of MPs in the party who claim to back embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“Do they dare? It will be seen as going against the Umno Supreme Council’s decision,” said vocal council member Puad Zarkashi.

The party leadership has previously said it was withdrawing support for Muhyiddin as prime minister but would remain part of the Perikatan Nasional government.

Speaking to FMT, Puad said Umno MPs’ support for Muhyiddin could also be construed as a betrayal of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The King had recently expressed displeasure with the government;’s handling of the alleged revocation of emergency ordinances.

Puad’s remarks came in response to a report that only 19 Barisan Nasional MPs had turned up for a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to discuss support for Muhyiddin’s leadership.

Ismail, who is an Umno vice-president, had recently described as genuine a claim that 40 MPs of Barisan Nasional backed the Muhyiddin-led government. He said the decision to back the government was made after he chaired a meeting with the 40 MPs on July 29.

The meeting had been held amid tensions between Istana Negara and Putrajaya over the revocation of emergency ordinances, which are laws passed by decree under the state of emergency which expired on Aug 1.

Puad said he believed fewer Umno MPs had attended the meeting with Ismail because they were afraid of being labelled as traitors to the King and Umno.

He also said the MPs who attended the meeting were just being used by “power brokers” who only wanted to strengthen their position within the government.

That was why he wanted to challenge those who claimed to back Muhyiddin to show proof of their support.

Former academic Azmi Hassan also said he was not surprised that more MPs are distancing themselves from the government. “I think it is common sense for the Barisan Nasional MPs to do so.”

However, so long as there is no official tally of votes in the Dewan Rakyat to prove a lack of support for the prime minister, the status quo would remain, he said. - FMT