Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin Yassin was wrong in claiming that Umno sought blind loyalty to its president Najib Abdul Razak, Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi said.

He said the walak (loyalty) which Umno sought from its members was on condition that the president does not go against the tenets of Islam.

"Loyalty to Najib is not because we are obsessed with him as an indvidual. The loyalty is to the president as an institution. We are loyal because he is loyal to the party.

"That is why when (Umno's founding president) Onn Jaafar, (first premier) Tunku Abdul Rahman, (third premier) Hussein Onn, Ku Li (Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah) and (former deputy prime minister) Musa Hitam left the party, they were seen as disloyal to the struggle.

"So not many of left the party to join them. The members were loyal to the leader because the leader is loyal to the party," he said in a statement today.

In view of this, he challenged Muhyiddin to reveal the number of Umno members who have left Umno for Bersatu.

Muhyiddin wasn't following AGM closely

The statement was disseminated by the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry. Puad is the Jasa director-general.

Muhyiddin had earlier criticised the Umno general assembly, which concluded last Saturday, for being an occasion to command "blind loyalty" instead of a platform to discuss issues concerning the people.

However, this was rebutted by Puad who said many issues were debated at the assembly.

He added Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin in his speech also stressed that loyalty to the president should not be given blindly.

"All this happened but Muhyiddin was not following what truly happened at the AGM.

"It is his habit to believe in rumours, just like how he believed the wrong things about 1MDB which led to his removal from Umno and the government," Puad said.