I was Najib’s kingmaker, and I don’t regret it, says Muhyiddin
The Malaysian Insider – 8 hours ago
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that he did not regret convincing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to go for the Umno presidency and to subsequently become Malaysia's prime minister in 2009.
He also revealed that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had asked him to go for the party presidency instead, to replace Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who led the party and was prime minister then.
Muhyiddin said his refusal to deny Najib the position was proof of his loyalty, and questioned why some in Umno had begun sidelining him as the party deputy president, after he was dropped from the cabinet for openly questioning Najib over 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Speaking at a dialogue session organised by publisher Karangkraf and Sinar Harian in Johor Bahru yesterday, Muhyiddin said that he was the one who first met Najib and urged him to take up the challenge after Barisan Nasional's (BN) poor performance in the 2008 general elections.
"The thing with Najib is, he takes a long time to make up his mind," he said.
That was when Dr Mahathir asked him to go for the Umno presidency instead, Muhyiddin said.
He refused, however, on the grounds that party hierarchy dictated that Najib, who was Abdullah's deputy, should be the next president.
"That's when I met Dr Mahathir and he asked me to go for the presidency," he added.
"But I said no, I can't, I am only party vice president, and Najib is the deputy president, so he should go for it," Muhyiddin said.
He said he was eventually the one who convinced Najib to take up the challenge and become prime minister.
"It was on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Senai that I told him that he needs to make up his mind quickly and I told him that Dr Mahathir had asked me to take up the challenge instead," he said.
"That was when Najib said okay, he will do it. He agreed to it on a flight to Johor," he told a crowd of some 400 people, mainly Johor Umno grassroots members, at a hotel where the dialogue session was held.
Unlike Dr Mahathir, who is now calling for Najib's resignation, Muhyiddin said he had no regrets over helping Najib become prime minister.
"I won't say I regret it. At that time, it was the right thing to do. He was qualified and capable to lead the country," he said.
"So, no one can doubt my loyalty. I have always been loyal to the leadership. In my years being in the government since 1981, I had never spoken out off line against the leadership," he added.
Muhyiddin, who remains Umno deputy president, said he was aware of implications after speaking his mind at the dialogue yesterday.
"I know I might face further implications, but it is better for me to tell the truth," he said.
He also said that he felt the post of deputy president in Umno was no longer respected after he was removed from the government in a cabinet reshuffle by Najib recently. In the July reshuffle, Muhyiddin lost both his deputy prime minister post and education ministry portfolio after openly criticising Najib over his handling of debt-ridden state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
"It's as though they don't respect the decisions of party members who elected me. Do they not trust me? Some tasks, which by tradition are done by deputy president, are not given to me anymore," he said.
"It's as though they don't remember my sacrifices for the party. I don't think I undermined anybody and I don't think I did anything wrong. Why is my party position being affected?" he added.
Muhyiddin was constantly applauded during his 90-minute speech by the crowd chanting "Hidup Tan Sri!" – October 24, 2015.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that he did not regret convincing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to go for the Umno presidency and to subsequently become Malaysia's prime minister in 2009.
He also revealed that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had asked him to go for the party presidency instead, to replace Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who led the party and was prime minister then.
Muhyiddin said his refusal to deny Najib the position was proof of his loyalty, and questioned why some in Umno had begun sidelining him as the party deputy president, after he was dropped from the cabinet for openly questioning Najib over 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Speaking at a dialogue session organised by publisher Karangkraf and Sinar Harian in Johor Bahru yesterday, Muhyiddin said that he was the one who first met Najib and urged him to take up the challenge after Barisan Nasional's (BN) poor performance in the 2008 general elections.
"The thing with Najib is, he takes a long time to make up his mind," he said.
That was when Dr Mahathir asked him to go for the Umno presidency instead, Muhyiddin said.
He refused, however, on the grounds that party hierarchy dictated that Najib, who was Abdullah's deputy, should be the next president.
"That's when I met Dr Mahathir and he asked me to go for the presidency," he added.
"But I said no, I can't, I am only party vice president, and Najib is the deputy president, so he should go for it," Muhyiddin said.
He said he was eventually the one who convinced Najib to take up the challenge and become prime minister.
"It was on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Senai that I told him that he needs to make up his mind quickly and I told him that Dr Mahathir had asked me to take up the challenge instead," he said.
"That was when Najib said okay, he will do it. He agreed to it on a flight to Johor," he told a crowd of some 400 people, mainly Johor Umno grassroots members, at a hotel where the dialogue session was held.
Unlike Dr Mahathir, who is now calling for Najib's resignation, Muhyiddin said he had no regrets over helping Najib become prime minister.
"I won't say I regret it. At that time, it was the right thing to do. He was qualified and capable to lead the country," he said.
"So, no one can doubt my loyalty. I have always been loyal to the leadership. In my years being in the government since 1981, I had never spoken out off line against the leadership," he added.
Muhyiddin, who remains Umno deputy president, said he was aware of implications after speaking his mind at the dialogue yesterday.
"I know I might face further implications, but it is better for me to tell the truth," he said.
He also said that he felt the post of deputy president in Umno was no longer respected after he was removed from the government in a cabinet reshuffle by Najib recently. In the July reshuffle, Muhyiddin lost both his deputy prime minister post and education ministry portfolio after openly criticising Najib over his handling of debt-ridden state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
"It's as though they don't respect the decisions of party members who elected me. Do they not trust me? Some tasks, which by tradition are done by deputy president, are not given to me anymore," he said.
"It's as though they don't remember my sacrifices for the party. I don't think I undermined anybody and I don't think I did anything wrong. Why is my party position being affected?" he added.
Muhyiddin was constantly applauded during his 90-minute speech by the crowd chanting "Hidup Tan Sri!" – October 24, 2015.
Former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today said he realised the seriousness of 1Malaysia Development Berhad's (1MDB) controversy after the debt laden firm sought a RM3 billion cash injection from the Cabinet earlier this year, which was rejected.
"That was when I realised how serious this was. They just received RM2 billion from Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan and now they were seeking RM3 billion from the cabinet," Muhyiddin said in his speech during a "Bicara Minda" dialogue organised by publisher Karangkraf and Sinar Harian in Johor Baru today.
Muhyiddin, who was dropped as Datuk Seri Najib Razak's deputy in July, said he expressed his concerns to the prime minister after seeing the proposal.
Najib is also the finance minister and chairman of 1MDB's advisory board.
"They just took on more debts to settle previous debts, it was like a mountain of debts, layers after layers," Muhyiddin said.
The Malaysian Insider had also reported in February that the RM3 billion cash injection sought by 1MDB from the cabinet was rejected.
Muhyiddin in his speech described 1MDB not as a sovereign wealth fund, but a "sovereign debt fund".
The Finance Ministry-owned firm, meant to be a strategic investor and a catalyst for new development, is now undergoing a restructuring exercise to shave off its debts.
"I did not have any malice in expressing my concerns. I did not have the intention to see 1MDB fail. I just gave honest opinions, I could not keep quiet," said theUmno deputy president, whose removal from the cabinet came after he had questioned Najib publicly about Putrajaya's handling of the firm's controversies.
Muhyiddin said he led calls from the within the cabinet for a meeting to be held with 1MDB chief Arul Kanda Kandasamy, but said Arul Kanda showed up without any documents.
"He did show up at a cabinet meeting, but he did not come armed with anything. We had two big screens at the cabinet meeting room, but neither was used. He gave a talk for 15 minutes, and that was about it," he said.
Muhyiddin, who remains Umno deputy president, also quipped that although he asked Najib to fire those responsible for 1MDB crisis, it was he who got fired instead.
"I told him to fire those who are managing 1MDB, but instead I got fired," he said.
"I told him (Najib) to relinquish his post as the chairman of the board of advisors, because as long as he is in that position, he can't separate himself from the decisions 1MDB took in case wrongdoing is established.
"He did not take my advice very well," he added.
Muhyiddin also claimed that in a meeting with Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, he was informed that 1MDB had broken many financial regulations of the central bank in its dealings.
After the proposal for the RM3 billion cash injection was rejected by the cabinet, the government proceeded to prepare a RM950 million standby credit for 1MDB through the Finance Ministry.
"After we rejected the RM3 billion injection, they got a RM950 million standby credit," he said. – October 24, 2015.
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