Muhyiddin Yassin has been suspended from the post of Umno deputy president, with immediate effect.

Party secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said president Najib Abdul Razak had decided that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take over the duties of the deputy president.

Zahid is currently one of the three vice-presidents in the party.

“[…] We have agreed unanimously to suspend Muhyiddin’s Umno deputy president’s post which will come into immediate effect.

“The suspension will last until the next supreme council elections,” he added.

Muhyiddin’s other posts in the party, however, are maintained.

The decision was made at the supreme council meeting held at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur earlier today.

Both Muhyiddin and his ally Shafie Apdal were absent . Muhyiddin is overseas while Shafie is down with gout.

Meanwhile, all decisions, said Tengku Adnan, were made based on the Umno constitution while taking into account the current political scenario.

“Muhyiddin’s actions did not reflect his responsibility as the deputy president who is supposed to help the president strengthen the party.

Asked later who had presented the motion, Tengku Adnan simply said that the motion was moved “together”.

He also explained that both Muhyiddin and Shafie had informed the council they would not attend today’s meeting.

“Muhyiddin’s absence cannot be considered as not giving him the right to defend himself,” Tengku Adnan stressed.

Muhyiddin’s suspension comes as no surprise as he has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of Najib after the latter sacked him from the deputy prime minister’s post last year.