YOURSAY | ‘If the best Umno can offer is someone like Zahid, then God save us...'

Muhyiddin has no qualms about Zahid replacing Najib

Existential Turd: I have said this a long time ago. Please don't conflate ousting Prime Minister Najib Razak with saving Malaysia. No one in their right mind would believe for a second that ousting Najib would save Malaysia.

How is letting an apple-polishing sycophant like Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi helming the country going to save Malaysia? If the best Umno and BN can offer is someone like Zahid, then God save us from purgatory.

Jaycee: Seriously, the same man who, with other brown-nosers, said there is no fraud with 1MDB? How can a person who cannot tell right from wrong become the next PM?

Ferdtan: Let's read more into ex-DPM Muhyiddin Yassin’s call.

1) He is said to be agreeable to Zahid being Najib's successor. That means that he, Muhyiddin, will neither be PM nor even the deputy as he would not take a post lower than his former lower-ranking colleague. If he does, he would lose face.

2) He, however, had added a measured caveat there: he wants the decision (of support) to wait until the Citizens’ Declaration spearheaded by former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad has achieved its objective.

Why then did Muhyiddin make this statement? Is he surrendering the fight? Was his and Mahathir’s campaign a lost hope that he is shifting sides with the next hopeful, Zahid? Was the purpose of it to get whatever little benefit out of it, even if he were to forfeit the premiership?

Or is it the other way around: it was to provoke a conflict (by enticing the number two man) between the two top men? It was clear that the support of Zahid is only conditional - that the Citizens’ Declaration should be successful in its endeavour as the key factor.

In that case, Muhyiddin would have an advantage over Zahid as the Citizens’ Declaration is seen to be ‘controlled’ by Mahathir if it is in a position to influence Umno on the replacement.

Fairnsquare: The process is such that Zahid has to take over if Najib steps down. Subsequently, Umno has to hold an EGM and elect a new president, who will lead the country. Umno will still be in power until the next GE even if Najib steps down.

This is a reality all Malaysians must face. If Umno decides to hold an EGM immediately after the PM chooses to step down, the newly-elected leader will be the PM. Zahid will be the acting PM until then.

That is the process. This is not about toppling the government.

Free and Fair Election: 'Fairnsquare', I understand what you have said. That's the reason why I prefer Najib to stay in power, because if he is replaced, the new Umno PM will behave himself till the next GE.

People would then vote BN in again, thinking that this new PM will bring about change. I prefer Najib to stay on till the next GE and then we will bring the whole of BN down.

We want a change of government. We are tired of these monkeys in Putrajaya guarding the banana plantation.

And Muhyiddin, I thought you were smarter than that after being sacked. But it looks like your problem is Najib. We want you to know our problem is Najib and the whole BN.

Legit: You must be joking, Muhyiddin. We the people do not want either you or Zahid to take over. Both of you will be an even bigger disaster for Malaysia.

After the current regime is kicked out, there should be a caretaker government for up to six months and a new general election to be called under a newly-constituted Election Commission, and after all the draconian laws repealed. Nothing less.

We may then see a complete remake of political alliances and not the current BN and Pakatan Harapan anymore. This is the way to rebuild this tattered country.

I think you, Mahathir, his son Mukhriz and all the other former and current Umno leaders better get used to the new way of doing things.

SusahKes: There were a lot more requirements stipulated in the Citizens' Declaration; none of it mentioned that Zahid should be the next PM. Muhyiddin should be more concerned with the reforms demanded than with another Umno-style continuity.

The country won't be saved, Muhyiddin. And I doubt, neither would your political career. If you keep this up, you have already lost the battle, and confirmed what we have always known, and what we have been screaming at the likes of Bersih leaders Ambiga Sreenevasan, Maria Chin Abdullah, etc. And that is this: never trust an Umno guy to place reform as his chief priority.

Maybe a better option would be, should Najib step down, place a caretaker government, reform the electoral system (to begin with), and then call for a general election in six months' time.

This way, you let the people to truly decide. But then again, this is just me giving some wishful thinking...

Anonymous_1371547149: This Save Malaysia campaign has taken us for a ride. Replacing Najib with someone like Zahid?

I thought there was no agreement yet regarding who should replace Najib. If Zahid was mentioned as Najib's successor, I'm sure this campaign would have faltered even before it started.

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