KUALA LUMPUR: Umno yesterday sacked with immediate effect suspended deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and suspended vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Muhyiddin and Mukhriz were sacked for indiscipline and Mohd Shafie was suspended until the Umno Supreme Council receives a report from the party’s disciplinary committee. The council arrived at the unanimous decision at its meeting yesterday, he told reporters after chairing the meeting at Umno headquarters here.
“The council decided to sack Tan Sri Muhyiddin and Datuk Seri Mukhriz for indiscipline, more so for sharing a stage with opposition leaders and verbally attacking Umno and its leaders … that’s a serious offence,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by Umno vice-presidents Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaludin.
Najib, who is the Prime Minister, said Shafie was suspended because the Umno Management Committee and Supreme Council had yet to receive a full report from the Disciplinary Committee.
Muhyiddin and Shafie were dropped from the Cabinet in July 2015 while Mukhriz stepped down as the Kedah menteri besar last February. Also in February, Muhyiddin was suspended as Umno deputy president until the next party elections.
All three of them had been vocal in criticising and questioning the leadership of Najib in the matter of the RM2.6-billion political fund and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib also said that the government had decided to cease its financial aid to the Perdana Leadership Foundation with immediate effect after its honorary chairman, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, used the foundation as a platform to topple the government.
“Therefore, there is no reasonable cause for the government to continue providing any contribution whatsoever to the Perdana Leadership Foundation,” he said.
Najib said the staff of the foundation would be given notice of dismissal accordingly.
Commenting on the Barisan Nasional victory in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections on June 18, Najib said it was achieved through the integration of the machinery, coordinated work, high level of discipline and close cooperation among the component parties.
Asked whether the BN victory would be reason enough to call the next general election soon, he said calling a general election did not depend merely on the outcome of by-elections but on many other factors.
“But we are encouraged by the support we’ve been receiving, especially when someone declared these (by-elections) should be (viewed as) a national referendum on the national leadership,” he said.
Asked about a Cabinet reshuffle, Najib said he needed some time to consider it. Two posts of minister are vacant after Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar ended his tenure as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas resigned as Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister to contest the Sarawak state election. Uggah is now a Sarawak deputy chief minister.
The post of Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister is also vacant following the death of Tan Sri Noriah Kasnon in a helicopter crash in Sarawak on May 5. — Bernama