Dr M ‘architect’ behind Bersatu, you’re just the ‘contractor’, Muhyiddin told

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad drew up a ‘beautiful plan’ for Bersatu and Muhyiddin Yassin was just the ‘contractor’ who laid the bricks, an aide says.

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin may have been the one to set up Bersatu, but he was nothing more than a “contractor” used by his predecessor, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the real “architect” behind the party.

This was the response from Mahathir’s press secretary, Adam Mukhriz Mohd Muhayeedin, in a stern rebuke to the comments made by the current Bersatu president last night.

“There is a big difference between the person who devises a plan and the one who sets it in motion,” Adam Mukhriz wrote in a Facebook post today.

“Muhyiddin is just a contractor who laid bricks, but Mahathir was the architect. The architect had a beautiful plan, but the contractor did not follow it.”

He said that even before Muhyiddin was sacked by Umno in July 2015, Mahathir was already going around the country to speak about the alleged scandals involving the then Najib Razak administration.

Having made the Malaysian Citizens’ Declaration in 2016 calling for, among others, Najib’s resignation and the removal of those who abetted him in his alleged crimes, Mahathir decided to form a new party to contest the next election after their demands were not met, he said.

“Initially, Muhyiddin did not want any part in the new party saying he wanted to retire. But Mahathir said ‘this is not about you or me, this is about the country.’

“Mahathir then called for a meeting with Muhyiddin, Shafie Apdal and Mukhriz Mahathir at his home to discuss the formation of a new Malay-Bumiputera party. Ibrahim Ali was also there, but he did not agree to working with DAP,while Shafie decided he would focus on Sabah.

“Following the meeting, Muhyiddin was instructed by Mahathir to set up the new party, which later became Bersatu,” he said.

Adam Mukhriz said though Mahathir initially only wanted to be party adviser and not the chairman, he eventually took up the post and was issued the member number 0000001.

“Muhyiddin was 0000002,” he said.

Muhyiddin had claimed last night that he was the man behind the formation of Bersatu, not Mahathir.

In a speech as part of Perikatan Nasional’s online campaign for the Melaka polls, he declared: “I, not Mahathir, took the step to form Bersatu.

“I did it because our struggle or jihad (against kleptocracy) had to be effective, so we could not be alone. It had to be with a strong group or on a political platform.” - FMT