BOMBSHELL - SAVE MALAYSIA GROUP TARGETS 12 UMNO WARLORDS: 'THEY WANT TO ABANDON NAJIB BUT WANT TO DO IT QUIETLY'

KUALA LUMPUR ― The Save Malaysia movement led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is now pinning its hopes on winning the support of a dozen key Umno leaders in its campaign to oust Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak instead of pushing forward a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

A member of the group, Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan, claimed that “many” in the Umno supreme council ― the powerful decision-making body in the Malay ruling party ― privately do not back Najib as their party president or prime minister.

“If we want to wait for a no-confidence vote to take place, I can tell you it won't happen,” Khairuddin told Malay Mail Online this week.

“Many of them in the Umno supreme council, deputy ministers, have expressed their concerns. They are protesting silently but do not care [to] say it out publicly. Ask Shahrir Samad how come he is suddenly so quiet and not defending PM?” he added, referring to Barisan Nasional Backbenchers chief Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

Another inside source from the Save Malaysia movement, which comprises Barisan Nasional (BN) veterans, opposition leaders and human rights activists, said the group has identified some 12 influential Umno leaders for support, including members of the party’s supreme council, veterans, and those from Johor and Sabah.

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The Save Malaysia movement’s Citizens’ Declaration, which calls for Najib’s removal, and the online petition in support of it are merely aimed at rousing public pressure, said the source who asked not to be named.

The online petition has over 46,000 signatories at the time of writing.

Among its newest signatories is Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin of G25, a group of retired high-ranking civil servants. The former diplomat and judge inked her name along with other human rights activists Tuesday after it was launched earlier this month by over 40 prominent figures.

“Petitions are needed to demonstrate and express public support in a democratic and peaceful manner to exert public pressure,” the source told Malay Mail Online.

A third insider within the Save Malaysia movement said it was Dr Mahathir who had suggested the method of getting Umno leaders to oust the prime minister.

“The vote of no-confidence has already failed,” the source said, adding, “Of course we have to talk to Umno leaders and so on and so forth, to explain why we need this kind of action”.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail submitted a motion of no-confidence against Najib in Parliament last October, but Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had said it would not be debated in the sitting then because it was not submitted according to Standing Orders.

The 13-party BN controls the majority of the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat with 134 MPs, out of which 88 are from Umno.

-  MALAY MAIL