Umno Insiders Downplay Muhyiddin Najib Reunion

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Former Umno president Najib Razak fell out with his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, in 2015 leading to the latter’s sacking from the party and government. (AFP pic)PETALING JAYA: Umno leaders have poured cold water on a reunion between former prime ministers Muhyiddin Yassin and Najib Razak, saying there is too much bad blood between them.
Two top leaders who spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity said people should not read too much into talk that a reunion was on the cards.
One leader described it as nothing more than an attempt by Bersatu to boost its credentials.
“They are losing strength, as you can see more Bersatu MPs are pledging support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. They are afraid that PAS will lose faith in them.
“Perhaps they believe that by hyping up a possible reunion between Muhyiddin and Najib they can ensure that PAS remains in Perikatan Nasional.”
The leader said the reality was that Najib, who is imprisoned, remains a popular figure, not just in Umno but also among PAS leaders.
“They (PAS leaders) have a good relationship with Najib,” said the source.
Another Umno leader shared similar views, saying some in Bersatu were trying to create the perception that Najib was open to working with them.
“Najib still has strong grassroots support within Umno, so they want to deal a blow to Umno,” he said.
“There is real unhappiness among Najib supporters that he is still being denied justice and this is one of the key reasons why Umno has not been doing well in recent polls.
“But I can’t foresee a Najib-Muhyiddin reunion yet.”
Najib had a fallout with his former deputy Muhyiddin in 2015 leading to the latter’s sacking.
At the time, Muhyiddin claimed he was sacked for raising questions about 1MDB.
Najib, however, said Muhyiddin was sacked for conspiring against him with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Mukhriz Mahathir since 2014.
The source also said that while there was bad blood between Muhyiddin and Najib, the same cannot be said for PN as a whole.
“PAS, which is the real power in PN, does not have issues with Najib.”
Yesterday, Bersatu information chief Razali Idris said the possibility of Muhyiddin and Najib joining forces could not be ruled out. - FMT

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