The majority of Umno supreme council members want deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin to be sacked from the party, and therefore out of all posts in Umno, rather than to be just suspended, says Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Nazri, who is tourism and culture minister and an appointed member of the supreme council, said there were also those who did not agree with the suspension, and he himself was in this group.

He defended Muhyiddin against any expulsion, but agreed with the suspension since Muhyiddin was not doing the task of assisting party president Najib Abdul Razak.

“I do not mind to tell what happened in the two-hour meeting… there were those who suggested that he (Muhyiddin) be sacked and there were some who wanted a suspension.

“There are those within the party supreme council who want him sacked but I defended my motion that since he (Muhyiddin, photo ) did not do his task as deputy president, then we should suspend him,” Nazri told reporters in Kuala Lumpur last night.

There are those, Nazri revealed, who disagreed with the decision to only suspend Muhyiddin.

‘Easier to have Muhyiddin suspended’

Last Friday, the Umno supreme council decided to suspend Muhyiddin from his post of party deputy president, with immediate effect.

Nazri admitted that he tabled the motion to suspend Muhyiddin at the party supreme council meeting.

Muhyiddin in his immediate reaction to the suspension said he would not appeal the suspension although he questioned the way the party supreme council reached the decision.

In the press conference, Nazri also explained why action was taken on Muhyiddin and not other leaders who are vocal.

“If we want to take stern action against Muhyiddin, we must also take action on Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir. But at the meeting, we only discussed about Muhyiddin.

“As the discussions on Muhyiddin were intense, the other matters were not discussed… it is easier to suspend Muhyiddin as deputy president,” Nazri said.