JOHOR BARU: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says he did not regret giving his support to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to take over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the 2008 general election.
The Umno deputy president, who was sacked as deputy prime minister in July for being vocal on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd issue, said the change of leadership had to be carried out after the elections.
He said he had to convince Najib, then the deputy president, as he was "the only candidate" to take over as the party president and prime minister.
Muhyiddin was then one of the three vice-presidents in the party.
“I have been with Umno all my life and the decisions and actions I had made were for the future of the party,” he said at a session with Umno grassroots members organised by Malay daily Sinar Harian here.
Muhyiddin said he would never set up a new party as it would not be the answer to the current problems in Umno, adding that Umno should go through a transformation process in line with the rakyat’s aspiration.
“In my years of experience, having a new party is never easy as it might be over tomorrow,” he said.
Muhyiddin said he would continue to voice out for the sake of Umno as he did not want to see the party lose in the next general election.
He challenged Umno leaders, especially division chiefs and those in position, not to be afraid of voicing out what grassroots members had been wanting to ask.
"Where are the rest? Are they too afraid that if they speak out they might lose their position within the party or even risk their chances of becoming a wakil rakyat,” he said.
Muhyiddin also dispelled the notion that he was the "enemy within" that Najib referred to in his Budget speech on Friday.
