Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denies that Umno withdrew support for Prime Minister Muhyddin Yassin because this latter did not want to intervene to drop charges against the party’s leaders.
The Umno president insisted that Umno rejected Perikatan Government because Muhyiddin has undermined the monarchy and the Federal Constitution, not because Umno leaders wanted to escape prosecution.
He said his party decided to reject PN as it allegedly ridiculed the royal institution and misled Malaysian people.
In a special address to the nation (August 4), Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin alleged that some political leaders were causing the country’s political instability for their personal interests.
He alleged that these leaders did not want to support him as he did not bow to their demands and pressures.
According to media reports, some Umno leaders such as Ahmad Zahid, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and many others are facing several court charges and have ongoing corruption trials. However, they have not proven guilty yet.
In a meeting on Jul 21 ahead of the special parliament meeting, the Cabinet announced that it has revoked all the emergency ordinances.
The announcement caused an uproar in the Dewan Rakyat and raised questions on whether the king had consented to the revocation.
More tension sparked when the palace revealed that the king did not give consent to the decision.
Defending the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that all the actions taken by the Malaysian government in revoking COVID-19 emergency ordinances were in line with the country’s laws and Constitution.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) added that the Cabinet had already advised the King (Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah) to repeal the ordinances before the ongoing special parliament meeting began.
