Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin today warned Umno leaders and members of expulsion from the party if they sabotage the party's general election candidates.   

The strong warning was primarily directed at those who would be upset or frustrated at not being selected as candidates.

"If they (Umno leaders and members) resort to sabotage in the next general election, we will sack them from the party. We do not need such people, sorry.

"The (Umno) president (Najib Abdul Razak) has agreed. We don't need people who want to sabotage candidates. If the candidates lose, we will also lose," he said.

Muhyiddin issued the warning when opening the Bakri Umno Division delegates meeting in Muar.

He said that in the current political situation, which he described as critical, the party demanded the loyalty of its members.

"In Kelantan, we have lost a seat by two votes and because of that we did not have enough seats to form the state government. So, do not resort to sabotage.

"Your loyalty must be to the party, not the leaders. When we select a candidate, we evaluate his or her acceptance by the people and look at their qualities. We cannot take things easy anymore," he said.

At a news conference later, Muhyiddin said the expulsion would be made after an investigation.

"We will not act arbitrarily. If the investigation reveals evidence of sabotage, then we have no choice but to mete out the penalty," he said. 

Avoid a repeat of the past

Muhyiddin said that based on experience, the defeat of the BN in some states in the past was not because the people did not support the candidate but due to internal problems where some members did not want to help and sabotaged the candidate and the party instead.

"Past experience is most useful for us to avert a repeat of these," he said.

He said he hoped that such things would not happen in the next general election because all BN component party members know how important the next general election was for the coalition.

He advised the members to accept the decision on candidates made by the party leadership.

This was because the candidates were selected based on the party constitution, discussions with leaders at all levels and following screening to determine the best candidate.

"We also hope that they (the members) will work to assist the candidates to secure an outstanding victory. For me, that is most important," he said. 

Muhyiddin said there would be monitoring of constituencies which could be recaptured easily from the opposition, which faced internal problems and where stiff competition was expected with the opposition. 

He said all BN component parties had submitted the names of their candidates and the evaluation was going on.

Many personalities were eligible to be candidates but the BN could not regard the matter lightly and had to adhere to a tight selection process to ensure the coalition's victory, he said.

‘Don’t be vindictive’

Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said urged all Umno members to refrain from being vindictive and remain united in gaining the trust of fence-sitters in the coming general election.  

Members would have to contemplate to regain the party's strength, he told reporters after opening the delegates meetings of the Kubang Pasu Umno Division Wanita Umno, Umno Youth and Puteri Umno today.

Ahmad, who is a member of the Umno supreme council, also urged party members to support the party's candidates who were chosen by the party leadership for the general election.

Earlier, in his speech, he called on Umno members not to put their personal interests above the party's struggle for the Malays. 

- Bernama