Najib's announcement – coup attempt that did not follow the script?

Just before taking over the leadership reins, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had orchestrated a coup that saw the collapse of the opposition-led Perak government in 2009.

Amanah Youth believes something similar was supposed to have unravelled yesterday evening, when Najib had the entire nation glued for his much-hyped announcement.

Umno leaders were summoned to the party headquarters, which even saw Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi cutting his trip to Perlis short and returning to Kuala Lumpur.

However, Najib drew flak and ridicule when the announcement centred around the return of former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib to Umno.

Detractors claimed that a spent political powerhouse such as Muhammad did not deserve such high-level drama.

Amanah Youth vice-chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin begged to differ.

“To believe that the Umno president (Najib) held a press conference just to celebrate the return of Muhammad is naive,” he said.

Shazni added that Amanah Youth believes what transpired yesterday was the postponement of a coup, similar to the one that occurred in Perak, after three opposition assemblypersons quit their parties to become pro-BN independent representatives.

“The more important question is what was the reason for the postponement and who are the characters working towards bringing a group of elected representatives to be with Najib.

“To those who are working hard to bring support for Najib, Amanah Youth is confident that the coup attempt would not get the blessings of the people,” he added in a statement.

Shazni cautioned against attempts to derail the people's mandate in the 2013 general election and to avoid actions that could bring peril to the future of the nation.

According to The Malaysian Insight, Muhammad was supposed to bring along eight Selangor state government assemblypersons with him to trigger the collapse of the current state government.

However, this failed to materialise.

PKR lawmaker and the party's strategy director Sim Tze Sin dismissed this claim.

“Why would eight ADUN (the Malay acronym for state assemblypersons) join a sinking Umno ship?

“Cerita dongeng (fairy tale) just to cover Najib's humiliating PC (press conference) last night,” Sim said on Facebook. - Mkini