Muhyiddin: Mukhriz ouster marks end of leaders acting for rakyat
Mukhriz Mahathir's ouster as Kedah menteri besar marks the end of an era where the people can trust leaders to act in their interest, Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin says.
"Gone are the days where we trust the leadership to make decisions based on the will of the people.
"It seems that in this recent political episode, the will of the few triumphed over what the majority of the rakyat desires," Muhyiddin said in a Facebook posting tonight.
Mukhriz was this morning forced to resign as Kedah menteri besar after an Umno faction loyal to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak succeeded in ousting him.
The move is seen as retaliation against Mukhriz's father, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had accused Najib of corruption and vowed to remove him as prime minister.
Muhyiddin said he was certain that Kedahans, and even Malaysians as a whole, were disappointed that Mukhriz's ouster was sanctioned by the central leadership of Umno.
"Perhaps they have forgotten that Umno is a political party that relies on the rakyat's support to remain relevant.
"If a decision is made without considering the sentiment of majority of the rakyat, then I worry that the future of Umno will be affected," he said.
Not easy to regain trust
Muhyiddin added that it would not be easy to regain the rakyat's trust after they had felt betrayed.
"The new Kedah menteri besar will have a hard time in regaining the rakyat's support for Umno," he said.
Muhyiddin is also part of Umno's central leadership but he and Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal have been sidelined.
They were sacked from the government in July last year for questioning scandals plaguing the prime minister, including the 1MDB issue and the discovery of RM2.6 billion in Najib's personal bank accounts.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the money is a political donation.
Muhyiddin added that he was confident that Mukhriz will be able to ride through these tough times.
"Perhaps it will be the start of a longer struggle," he said.
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