A letter featured on MyKMU , a blog backing Umno president Najib Abdul Razak, has called for deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin to take a long break for the party's benefit.
The writer, Amin Yatim from Petaling Jaya, addressed the letter to Muhyiddin, saying he believes the Umno leader is one of seven under probe by the party disciplinary committee for their public criticisms against Najib.
The issue first surfaced last month when Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was asked why no action has been taken against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who has openly urged that Najib be ousted.
Amin, a regular contributor to the blog, further questioned Muhyiddin's meeting with Parti Ikatan president Kadir Sheikh Fadzir to badmouth Najib. Parti Ikatan is not a BN component party.
“Muhyiddin's actions of late - of holding talks and forums to criticise the party president - are not comprehensible coming from a person holding the post of deputy president,” Amin said, citing Article 9.8.2 of the party constitution.
The constitution stipulates that the deputy president shall chair all supreme council meetings if the party president is not present.
“Hence, your (Muhyiddin's) statement in continuously attacking the party president outside the Umno supreme council meeting is a clear breach of party discipline.
“You are not helping the president but instead, criticising him outside the democratic walls of the party,” he said, citing other provisions that Muhyiddin had allegedly violated.
‘For the party’s survival’
Amin pointed out that in order for Umno candidates to win the next general election, the party needs a deputy that it can trust to take on the responsibility.
“No party president is crazy enough to allow a deputy to manage the party and its election machinery, who at the same time is attacking him,” he wrote.
He also reminded Muhyiddin that except for Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir, everyone, including him, had agreed to postpone party elections.
Under the circumstances, Amin wrote, Umno is left with little choice but to sack Muhyiddin as its deputy president and as BN deputy chairperson as it is the best move in facing the (next) general election.
“Certainly, your sacking will affect the party. Truth be told, you do not have a strong team backing you, no thanks to your lukewarm relationship with the people, but your supporters - a certain royal house, and a handful of Umno politicians, those who act in their own interest - can cause harm to the party and its president.
“Hence, for the survival of the party, I plead that you take leave from the party deputy president post until after the 14th general election,” Amin wrote.
He added that the hiatus will allow Umno to make better preparations for the party election, and will benefit Muhyiddin in the long term.
“If you take leave, it would give you a better chance to contest for the party presidency rather than being sacked,” he said, reminding Muhyiddin that the leader is neither a fighter nor a strategist like former deputies Anwar Ibrahim and Musa Hitam respectively.
Amin urged Muhyiddin to step aside so Najib can strengthen the party while the axed deputy prime minister addresses problematic projects allegedly linked to him, such as 1BestariNet and the National Feedlot Corporation.
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