It's one hour into the monthly Umno supreme council meeting but both beleaguered Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-president Mohd Shafie Apdal are nowhere to be seen.

A source close to Muhyiddin confirmed with Malaysiakini that he is currently overseas and will only be back by the end of the month.

“Yes, he’s overseas. He’ll be back by the end of the month,” said the source.

Today’s meeting will decide whether Muhyiddin will be suspended from his post of Umno deputy president or otherwise.

Shafie’s aide, on the other hand, confirmed that the Umno vice-president will not attend the meeting as he is down with an illness.

“No (he’s not coming). He’s suffering from gout,” said Shafie’s aide.

Umno supreme council member Nazri Aziz is expected to move a motion to suspend Muhyiddin as Umno deputy president at the meeting today.

Muhyiddin has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak after the latter sacked him as deputy prime minister last year.

Shafie was also sacked from his post as rural and regional development minister, similarly for being vocal against Najib.