Annuar: Nazri’s call is his personal view

JOHOR BARU: Umno information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa has described Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s call for the party to take stern action against its deputy president as his personal view.

He said that while he respected the party supreme council member’s stand on the issue involving Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, this needed to be discussed further by the party.

“In Umno, we allow every leader to speak up, and dissatisfaction among members is nothing new. However, everyone must take heed of the party’s code of conduct or disciplinary action can be taken against them,” he told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the Johor Umno information committee here yesterday.

Annuar said that as the backbone of the Barisan Nasional and Government, Umno was always open to criticism.

“We are living in an open society where it is better to listen to the voices on the ground to help us improve.

“The reality is changing, where previously the bottom will listen to the top but in the current situation, it is the top that must listen to the grassroots,” he said, adding that politicians who did not like to be criticised should not have joined politics in the first place.

In the meantime, the call is growing louder for Muhyiddin to step down for criticising party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The latest comes from supreme council member Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who wants Muhyiddin to make way if he cannot remain loyal to Najib.

“Loyalty to leadership is a principle practice in any political party in the world,” said Azalina, echoing the views of Nazri and fellow supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi who had urged Muhyiddin to step down for continuously criticising Najib and raising the 1MDB issue.

Nazri had said that he would propose at tomorrow’s supreme council meeting that Muhyiddin be suspended if he refused to relinquish his post.

In a statement issued yesterday, Azalina said Muhyiddin was setting a bad example to the grassroots.

“If he really can’t follow what has been practised in Umno all this while, he should either step down or challenge for the party presidency at the next party polls,” she said.

Azalina reminded Muhyiddin that he won the Pagoh parliamentary seat on Umno’s ­ticket.

“It is the Barisan Nasional machinery that helped him. He should remember the party’s generosity towards him. So he should refrain from actions that could weaken the party,” she added.