An emergency Umno supreme council meeting must be called as soon as possible to confirm the loyalty of council members for Umno president Najib Abdul Razak, former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said.
This is necessary after Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin’s remarks on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), which casts doubts on the loyalty pledge made by Umno leaders for Najib, he said.
"It is clear that Muhyiddin is with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in that they do not want Najib to wait for the Auditor-General’s report on 1MDB and instead want the 1MDB board of directors to be sacked and investigated by the police,” he said in his blog today.
Zainuddin added that the emergency meeting must also be held to discuss whether Muhyiddin should be sacked from the supreme council or otherwise.
The former minister cited an incident on Sept 26, 1969 where Mahathir was sacked from the party after then Umno president Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj revealed that there were "extremists" who wanted to seize power in the party.
"If Muhyiddin is not sacked, then they must find a solution to ensure unity in Umno if one of them, either Muhyiddin or Najib, has to resign," Zainuddin said.
Muhyiddin, in a video uploaded on YouTube by former New Straits Times editor Firdaus Abdullah, said he told Najib 1MDB’s board of directors should be sacked and investigated by the police.
The video clip eclipsed the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) which Najib tabled in Parliament today, Zainuddin said.
This is proof that Najib does not have the rakyat's support and confidence, nor backing from the party as claimed, he said.
Muhyiddin's influence in the party cannot be underestimated, he said.
The video also confirmed claims by Mahathir and those aligned to him that Najib does not heed the advice of others.
"The rakyat’s doubt on the unity of the party leadership’s cannot be left unchecked until the next general election because the disease is spreading and it involves the country’s economic stability as well as Umno’s future," he said.
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