The Umno supreme council meeting slated for this Friday has been cancelled, according to a circular sighted by Malaysiakini.

The circular, inked by secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, did not state any reason for the cancellation.

Speculation had been rife that fireworks would erupt at the meeting, which would have been the first following yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak yesterday had dropped party number two Muhyiddin Yassin as deputy prime minister.

One of the party’s vice-presidents, Shafie Apdal, was also dropped in the biggest cabinet reshuffle since Anwar Ibrahim's sacking in 1997.

Cheras Umno chief Syed Ali Alhabshee (photo) confirmed with Malaysiakini he was notified of the cancellation on his Telegram application today.

It was rumoured that the supreme council meeting would have been a fiery affair with council members expected to vent their grouses following the 1MDB fiasco and Muhyiddin's vitriolic speech at the Cheras Umno AGM on Sunday.

On Monday, Bernama reported that council member Irmohizam Ibrahim said that members were expected to have a ‘heart-to-heart’ discussion on the 1MDB issue.

He said all quarters were requested to wait for the meeting, seen as the best platform to discuss the issue objectively, to ensure that Umno remained relevant to the people.

Sources close to Muhyiddin and Shafie had confirmed that the deputy president and vice president would have attended the meeting and they might have had a word or two to say there.

Earlier, another letter by Tengku Adnan (photo) announced the cancellation of the traditional closed-door briefing by Najib to party divisional leaders comprising the divisional chiefs, divisional deputy chiefs, women’s wing chiefs, youth wing chiefs and puteri wing chiefs.

Both letters gave no reason or excuse for the cancellation of the events, with Tengku Adnan merely noting he "apologised for the inconvenience caused".

Strong pro-Muhyiddin sentiment

Meanwhile, a party leader told Malaysiakini there were plans for members from Johor to question Muhyiddin's suspension in the briefing session scheduled before the supreme council meeting.

He said pro-Muhyiddin sentiment in Johor was so strong that state Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin had to step in to keep the grassroots leaders in line.

"That is why Khaled issued such a statement yesterday," he said

Yesterday, Khaled (photo) had urged Umno members especially from Johor to be patient in facing this development.

"I hope Umno members, particularly those from Johor, will remain calm in facing this moment with patience and strength," he had said.

Muhyiddin yesterday released a statement following his sacking, saying he only spoke up against 1MDB as the issues needed explanation.

He also said he will continue to serve as "a good deputy" and will continue to fight for the party.

Interestingly, he ended his statement with the words "Kepada Allah saya berserah" (to Allah I submit), echoing the Johor state creed "Kepada Allah berserah".

The creed, is a sacred slogan for Johor state, which could be seen as a call for solidarity in midst of challenge.

The cancellation of both events could be seen as a way for the party leadership to avoid untoward incidents and gain more time to address and calm the members behind closed doors.