KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has accepted the decision of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to drop him from the reshuffled cabinet line-up with an open heart.
Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said he respected the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint and drop any member of the cabinet.
“Alhamdulillah (all praises to Allah), I wish to thank the prime minister for having given me the opportunity to serve in the federal government administration as deputy prime minister beginning on April 10, 2009.
“I also wish to thank all the heads of department, government officers, leaders of non-governmental organisations and all others who have supported me in carrying out my duties as deputy prime minister,” he said in a statement via his Facebook page yesterday afternoon.
When announcing the cabinet reshuffle yesterday, Najib said the post of deputy prime minister would be taken over by Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also an Umno vice-president.
Muhyiddin said throughout his time serving as deputy prime minister, he was directly involved in drawing up government policies and had carried out the tasks entrusted to him with full honesty.
He said while serving, he had always upheld all government policies and supported the prime minister’s leadership.
“Except on the 1MDB issue, where I have my own principles and stand in protecting the rights of the people, the good name of the party and the interest of the nation. If my stand on this issue has caused me to be dropped from the cabinet, I accept it,” he added.
Muhyiddin also stressed that as Umno deputy president, he would always be loyal to the party’s struggles.
“I will continue to carry out the responsibilities entrusted to me and serve to strengthen the party and to regain the confidence of the Malays and people at large in Umno,” he said. — Bernama