A surprise appearance: Muhyiddin at the Bersatu annual general assembly at Menara PGRM in Cheras. — ART CHEN/The Star
CHERAS: A day after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was slapped with six charges in court, the Bersatu leadership has rallied around its president, urging him to remain in command of the party.
Bersatu’s former information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan said they were unanimous in their stand despite the former prime minister’s court cases.
“We all agree that Muhyiddin does not need to step down just because he has been charged. We want him to remain as president. We will bring this view to the Bersatu supreme council and Perikatan Nasional top leadership,” he said.
Muhyiddin is the chairman of Perikatan, which also comprises PAS, Gerakan and Sabah Progressive Party.
Wan Saiful was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Bersatu annual general assembly at Menara PGRM here yesterday.
The Tasek Gelugor MP himself had relinquished his position as party information chief after he was charged with corruption last month.
Earlier, Muhyiddin made a surprise appearance at the event to shouts of “long live Abah!” and “takbir” from hundreds of Bersatu youth.
Dressed in a white baju Melayu with red samping, the man who is known as “Abah” (father) by his supporters, was welcomed into the halls where the party’s youth wings, Srikandi Muda (women) and Armada (men), were holding their gatherings.
Besides Wan Saiful, Muhyiddin was accompanied by Bersatu treasurer-general Datuk Mohd Salleh Bajuri.
Muhyiddin, who attended as an observer, sat with the audience and spent half an hour each at both halls but declined to speak to the media.
Highly energised by his presence, the delegates declared that they would defend their leader at all costs.
“Everyone predicted that Bersatu would be dead after 2018 but we returned stronger, and in 2022, we managed to win a record number of seats.
“We are not going down. We will never surrender. Abah, stay strong!” said an Armada delegate.
Bersatu is holding its delayed 2022 annual general assembly from March 10-12.
On Friday, Muhyiddin was charged at the Sessions Court with four counts of power abuse involving a total of RM232.5mil in gratification and two counts of money laundering involving RM195mil.
The Pagoh MP is the third Bersatu leader to face charges, after Wan Saiful and Segambut division deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad.
