Sacked deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he is agreeable to his successor Ahmad Zahid Hamidi assuming the post of prime minister should the incumbent, Najib Abdul Razak, step down.

However, Muhyiddin said, the decision should wait until the Citizens’ Declaration calling for Najib’s resignation comes to fruition first.

He said this was because the movement spearheaded by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad with the opposition was not meant to topple the government or replace the present ruling party.

“There are allegations that we want to topple the government.

“But no, in this present case they (the opposition) - who together with us, Mahathir and myself, had signed the Citizens’ Declaration - also say the aim is not to topple the government.

"We just want the (present) prime minister to step down and for the country to be saved,” Muhyiddin told a crowd of about 100 at an event last night.

“If he (Najib) goes, then the central committee can decide who the replacement would be.

“People say I should take his place, I don’t mind but it's not necessarily me, or Zahid also I don’t mind, whoever it is I too don’t mind.

“Although I cannot be certain with such a change, whether people will then be convinced to support BN,” he said.

The suspended Umno deputy president was speaking at a programme named ‘ Mencari Kebenaran, Selamatkan Malaysia ’ (Finding the Truth, Save Malaysia) in Puchong, Selangor.

'Urged Najib to replace Pak Lah'

At the same event, Muhyiddin, who is Pagoh MP, said he had in the past been invited by Mahathir to challenge then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the watershed 2008 general election.

He said this came about as then deputy Najib was too soft to act against Abdullah.

”Before that, Mahathir called me, it seemed he was waiting for Najib’s answer to take over (as prime minister) and take over the Umno presidency.

“He (Mahathir) asked me if Najib didn’t decide to go ahead, they could possibly ask me to contest (for the PM and Umno president’s posts).

“My reply then was, let’s wait, let me speak to Najib again,” he told the crowd.

He added that at the time when Umno was suffering from the heavy losses to the opposition, he had suggested to Najib several times to replace Abdullah in order to restore support to the ruling party.

Muhyiddin said he had discussed the matter with Mahathir at the time, that if Abdullah stayed on as PM, BN would lose the 13 th general election.

“If I did not push for this, I was afraid Umno-BN would lose in the general election.

“I didn’t do it for my own interests, it wasn’t because at the time I had aspirations to be deputy prime minister - it never crossed my mind - but the aim then was to save the party and the BN government,” said Muhyiddin.