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Do not sack Muhyiddin, Shafie from Umno, warns deputy permanent chairman

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal should be retained in their Umno positions as deputy president and vice-president, a veteran leader said today, explaining that their removal would cause divisions in the party. Umno deputy permanent chairman Tan Sri Mohamed Aziz (pic, right) issued this reminder to party supreme council members today, adding that Muhyiddin's and Shafie's removal from the Cabinet had already caused unease among the party grassroots. "The supreme council will have their meeting on September 9, and there is talk of moves to sack Muhyiddin and Shafie. "If that happens, it would be an unwise decision by the members of the supreme council which will cause anger among party members. "The decision would create a split in the party and weaken Umno," he said at a press conference at the Johor state assembly speaker's office in Nusajaya. Rumours are rife that Muhyiddin and Shafie will be sacked from the party next Wednesday when Umno's highest decision-making body meets. Mohamed said Umno leaders should protect the interest of its members and not become an "elitist group which likes to be worshipped and praised". "Umno leaders should be the umbrella that protects the interest of the party and its members, and not turn into elites who only want to be worshipped and praised. "Party members are counting on the supreme council not to make decisions that could damage the party," he said. Since the removal of Muhyiddin and Shafie in a Cabinet reshuffle by prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on July 28, some Umno divisions and branches, especially in Johor, have voiced their unhappiness with the move. Muhyiddin was axed as deputy prime minister while Shafie was dropped as rural and regional development minister. Both had been critical of Najib's brainchild, state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) which has amassed debts of RM42 billion over the past five years. "Members and grassroots are concerned about the developments at the highest level. "And their discontent can be heard in every corner every day," Mohamed said. The Umno Supreme Council has twice postponed its meeting since the Cabinet reshuffle, as the party grapples with a backlash from the increasingly unhappy grassroots. – September 3, 2015.