It is the day after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak sacked former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and security presence for the former has been noticeably heightened.

From Najib's arrival to the grand launch ceremony of Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA Sepang, to when he made a tour around the two-storey mall, up till when he left the event, the prime minister was constantly surrounded by more than 30 security personnel.

And the 30 or so security personnel were not only those who were in uniform but several police officers and the mall's security officers as well.

Several men in plainclothes with earpieces were also seen all over the mall, keeping an eye on the premier.

It's unclear when exactly the number of security personnel for Najib was increased, but the large number of them around was enough to pique the interest of media personnel at the event today. 

Whether this is due to the need for increased security for the premier from possible attacks by his former deputy's supporters or otherwise, to say that the large number of security personnel around is purely coincidental seems far-fetched.

Head kept low

Najib, during his speech, most of the time kept his head low and only raised his eyes to look at the audience occasionally, while keeping to his script.

Mall patrons could be seen leaning on the mall's first floor rails to catch a glimpse of the premier, brandishing their phones, taking pictures and video clips of the prime minister.

Najib did, however, remarked towards the end of his speech that he hoped the mall would make arrangements for shuttle services so that tourists could kill time while waiting at KLIA, which is a five-minute drive away.

"When people have time to kill, they will spend money," he quipped.

Najib during his tour round the mall, stopped at several shops. Security definitely was on high-alert as an individual wearing a Spiderman costume was pushed aside by two of Najib's bodyguards from taking a closer look at the premier.

After touring the mall, Najib was escorted to his car. No untoward incidents happened and the premier left, escorted by more than five cars and more than five outriders.

Najib, yesterday, dropped Muhyiddin as deputy prime minister in the latest cabinet reshuffle. Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was named as the new number two.

Speculation had been rife that Muhyiddin, who is Umno deputy president, was axed due to his critical remarks regarding the 1MDB imbroglio. 

A message was circulated on WhatsApp today, calling for "Malay warriors" to defend Muhyiddin and to topple Najib at a demontstration in Dataran Merdeka at 2pm today.

The message turned out to be fake as no one turned up for the demonstration apart from several media personnel.