Muhyiddin, Anwar and elections on agenda as Umno meets

 

Umno information chief Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (right) arrives at PWTC for the party’s supreme council meeting.

PETALING JAYA: Muhyiddin Yassin’s future as prime minister hangs in the balance tonight as the Umno leadership council meets in the wake of the rejection of a government proposal to declare a state of emergency over Covid-19.

Former prime minister Najib Razak is said to have asked Umno MPs to support opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who seeks to oust Muhyiddin and form a new government.

The proposal, raised at a meeting of Umno MPs, was backed by several Najib supporters, a party insider told FMT. “The MPs deliberated on the issue of supporting Anwar but others preferred fresh polls,” FMT was told.

Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (with 50 seats in the Dewan Rakyaat) has formed a coalition government with support from Umno and Barisan Nasional (43 seats); GPS of Sarawak (18) and an independent. It has a slim majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Anwar recently claimed he had achieved majority support among MPs and could form a new government.

Reports about today’s meeting in two news portals suggested that Najib had come under fire from Umno veterans Nazri Aziz and Noh Omar, but Najib denied the reports.

He said on Facebook: “No one attacked me at the meeting. Noh Omar didn’t attack me, and neither did Nazri,” he said, confirming that Nazri did not attend the meeting this evening. Nazri is said to be in Kelantan.

FMT’s source said Umno MPs were quite divided as others said support for Muhyiddin should be maintained until fresh parliamentary elections are called.

“There seems to be greater support for fresh elections, then Anwar as prime minister, and then support for Muhyiddin to continue,” the party source said.

Those not supporting Anwar questioned his relationship with DAP. They said they may not support the plan to push for him as prime minister, as some of them do not want to build ties with DAP.

The three suggestions are now being deliberated at the supreme council meeting before a decision is made tonight.

“They want the matter decided tonight. But I am not sure how, as the members seem divided. Each faction feels they are doing the right thing,” he said. - FMT