ANALYSIS Many moons ago, he defied his boss when he declared that he was Malay first and Malaysian second.

When speculation mounted regarding a plot being hatched to topple Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Muhyiddin Yassin remained silent.

And when fecal matter hit the oscillating blades on the ceiling with regard to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), he had cautioned against a government lifebuoy for Najib's brainchild that is drowning in debts. This once again set tongues wagging.

But the deputy prime minister fell silent afterwards.

On April 2, Dr Mahathir Mohamad fired his canons and claimed that Najib would steer Umno into the unchartered waters of defeat .

He called for a mutiny to overthrow the captain.

What is Umno worth to Muhyiddin?

Though calling on Najib to explain the issues raised by the former premier, Muhyiddin also urged Mahathir to give the man a chance , leaving pundits wondering which side of the fence he is on.

He then added several ladles of confusion into the concoction when he stated that Mahathir was not alone in his quest to seek the truth about Najib.

So when the question was put forth to veteran newsman A Kadir Jasin ( right ), he remarked: "If Muhyiddin believes that Umno and BN are worth saving, he should take charge."

Kadir, who is known to be a close associate of Mahathir, added that Muhyiddin cannot expect the former premier to bring about change because he is just an ordinary member.

When Mahathir trained his guns on his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Umno was confident with regard to who would be the successor but the situation is different now.

Muhyiddin appears to be reluctant in making a stand and unlike Najib during the Abdullah tussle, he does not command the support of BN component parties.

Is Muhyiddin ambitious enough?

Since the Mahathir-Najib feud erupted, the deputy prime minister has often ducked below the media radar to avoid being quizzed on this issue.

Is he hoping for Mahathir to clear the path for him to take over the top post without having to stain his hands or is he not interested in becoming the next prime minister?

After initially refusing to endorse Muhyiddin ( left ) since all those he had backed in the past let him down, Mahathir last Saturday expressed support for him.

He believes that Muhyiddin would be a better prime minister than Najib and would not repeat the latter’s mistakes.

Mahathir claimed that after witnessing what happened to his boss, he would be extra cautious.

"I am confident if Muhyiddin becomes the prime minister, he would not do such things. He knows that if he does, he would have to face all of this too," he had said.

Who is his running mate?

It is unclear if the "mistakes" Mahathir referred to were the Najib administration's decisions or reluctance to heed the instructions of the former premier.

One thing is for certain, should Muhyiddin take over, construction of the crooked bridge to replace the Johor Causeway would top the agenda.

The bridge has already claimed one politician and is threatening to take another. Muhyiddin would not want to be the third.

One that note, who would become the next deputy prime minister? Umno's leading vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi? What a combination that would make.