Rumour has it that Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and key opposition leaders had conspired to oust Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

 

However, this was denied by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is said to have met the former deputy prime minister together with PKR deputy president Azmin Ali to hatch a no-confidence vote against Najib in Parliament.

 

"This is a lie. I never met him privately or in a group (of opposition leaders), other than seeing him at an official event which was attended by all mentri besar and chief ministers," said Lim, who is also Penang chief minister.

 

Blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin ( photo ) wrote yesterday that Muhyiddin had plotted with Azmin and Lim to oust Najib and he is now paying the price for it.

 

According to the blogger, Muhyiddin was not dropped from cabinet for being vocal on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

 

A similar theory was propounded by blogger Seademon Says, who claimed that a former minister had met with an opposition leader and 30 MPs to discuss the formation of a new coalition to take over Putrajaya.

 

He said another meeting was held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) and attended by some 15 people.

 

Seademon Says is identified as former Air Force pilot Capt Abdul Rahmat Omar Mohd Haniff, son of former inspector-general of police Hanif Omar.

 

"This maybe an outcome of Umno's internal fight, which I am not interested in at all,” Lim told Malaysiakini .

 

"This is a move to divert us from RM2.6billion which was deposited into Najib's private accounts so that the truth can never prevail."

 

The talk could be linked to some quarters in Umno looking for a plausible reason to kick Muhyiddin out from the party.

                                                                                               

Muhyiddin has previously shot down the invite for him to join forces with the opposition to vote Najib out.

           

No meetings

 

Meanwhile, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli and Gerakan Harapan Baru secretary-general Dzulkefly Ahmad also denied they met Muhyiddin.

 

"I don't know what he (blogger Seademon) talked about - not the characters nor the event (in the said plot). I am not aware of any PKR leaders involved," rebutted Rafizi through text message.

 

"This sounds so dramatic and exciting, but honestly I don't have a clue of what is going on," added Dzulkefly.

 

According to Kit Siang, the speculation was to justify the government move to curb dissidents and arbitrary abuse of power.

 

Both Kit Siang and Dzulkefly ( photo ) defended the opposition's constitutional right to change the government in democratic way.

 

"How can you equate the effort to form a new coalition (to change the government in the next poll) with 'conspiracy' (to oust Najib)?

 

"We have been very open about that, we have nothing to hide, so this is not conspiracy and nothing secretive about it," said Kit Siang.

 

"Getting to power is always the intention of political parties, otherwise it’s better to form an NGO,” said Dzulkefly, adding they will only take power through democratic way, not through violence.

 

"A move to cast a no-confidence vote against Najib may not be conventional, but it's a democratic way. Democracy doesn't mean only through ballot box," he said.

Civil sevants unhappy

Lim Guan Eng said the 'lies' by Raja Petra was an attempt to cover up investigations into the scandal-ridden1MDB by the MACC.

"It has come to the extent that MACC deputy director Mohd Shukri Abdul has said 'return my men, take me instead'," Lim told reporters in Georgetown today.

Shukri was then responding to last night's sudden transfer of MACC's two key men - special operations division director Bahri Mohamed Zin and strategic communications director Rohaizad Yaacob to the Prime Minister's Office last night.

"Now civil servants are unhappy and Malaysians are unhappy. Why are the investigators prevented from doing their job?" Lim asked.

"This is the main issue instead of the lies spread that I have met Muhyiddin to topple Najib," he said.