Minister hits out at Muhyiddin, says Najib was a loyal deputy

When former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was heavily criticised by his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Abdullah's deputy stayed loyal by refusing to go against his party boss, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak. Salleh rebutted former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on how Najib succeeded Abdullah, saying Najib believed that a deputy should not go against his superior, who was Abdullah at the time. This, he said, was left out by Muhyiddin who recalled Najib's appointment as prime minister in 2009, after Abdullah was repeatedly hammered by Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister. "Maybe Muhyiddin forgot that when Dr Mahathir was no longer the prime minister and began criticising Abdullah, it was deputy prime minister Najib Razak who had publicly declared that his loyalty was with the prime minister (Abdullah). "Muhyiddin, however, said and did nothing to defend Abdullah," he wrote in his blog. Yesterday, Muhyiddin said he did not regret convincing Najib to go for the Umno presidency and to subsequently become Malaysia's prime minister in 2009. He revealed that Dr Mahathir had asked him to go for the party presidency instead to replace Abdullah, but he refused to deny Najib the position. Salleh said while Muhyiddin remarked that Najib had to be convinced to take over as prime minister, he neglected to say that "Najib felt the deputy should be loyal to the number one". "So it is not that Najib took a long time to make up his mind but more that Najib did not want to oust the prime minister. If Muhyiddin wants to relate history then let it be the correct version of history. "Muhyiddin said Dr Mahathir discussed the possibility of him taking over as prime minister. What Muhyiddin did not reveal was that Najib had refused to betray Abdullah and instead publicly declared his support for the prime minister." Yesterday, Muhyiddin questioned why some in Umno had begun sidelining him as the party deputy president following his removal from the cabinet in late July for openly questioning Najib over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) affair. "How does giving ammunition to the opposition to hit the party be considered for the good of the party?" asked Salleh. "Muhyiddin complained that the prime minister is sidelining him and no longer gives him the respect and that he is no longer entrusted with the job of chairing certain meetings like in the past. "Trust and respect need to be earned, not demanded, as the saying goes," he said. – October 25, 2015.]]>