The Umno supreme council will decide next week if party deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin will be allowed to speak during the winding-up of the coming Umno annual general assembly (AGM), Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said today.

His statement comes after Muhyiddin yesterday revealed that he was likely to be also barred from speaking during the winding-up session and complained that he was being reduced to a " stump on stage " when the AGM takes place next week.

Muhyiddin's claim is not without basis as Tengku Adnan indicated today that his stance is to break from tradition and only allow Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also Umno president, to speak during the winding-up.

"In my view, it is enough for the winding-up to only involve the president […] but any decision will be decided at a special Umno supreme council meeting later," he was quoted as saying by the BNBBC.my portal.

The Umno supreme council meeting is expected to take place next Wednesday.

On Nov 24, Najib announced that Muhyiddin will not deliver the keynote speeches for the opening ceremonnies of Umno's wings which has been the party's norm.

Instead, he said the respective wings' chiefs will officiate at the opening ceremonies and that this was done at their own request.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin claimed that he would also be barred from delivering his winding-up speech which meant that he would be completely muzzled at the AGM.

"So I can only sit on the stage like a stump," he complained.

Muhyiddin sidelined

Going by tradition, the Umno president, deputy president, vice-presidents and wing chiefs would deliver their winding-up speeches when the AGM concludes.

Muhyiddin and Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal were in July dismissed from the government for their criticism of Najib's handling of the 1MDB affair.

However, the two leaders were not removed from the party after several Umno supreme council members opposed the move for fear that it may cause further divisions in the party.

Nonetheless, Muhyiddin has since been sidelined with most of his major party functions stripped from him.