KUALA LUMPUR – Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi has called on Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to publicly present the non-PN MPs who allegedly provided him with statutory declarations (SDs) supporting his bid for prime minister after the 2022 general election.
“Submitting the SDs to the police is not enough. There needs to be public, verbal confirmation from the MPs who are not part of Perikatan Nasional to validate these SDs.
“Without such confirmation, the SDs might have been used to mislead the public, who do not know the full context.
“These non-PN MPs should openly declare their support for Muhyiddin as the 10th prime minister. Only the palace knows the truth,” he said in a Facebook post.
His comments were in response to reports that Muhyiddin had handed over several documents, including 115 SDs, to police after being questioned about a speech during the Nenggiri by-election campaign.
Puad had previously challenged Muhyiddin to reveal the 115 MPs who allegedly supported his bid for the top position in 2022.
Yesterday, the Bersatu president was at the Malaysian Investment Development Authority building for about an hour, where he provided a statement to police concerning his speech in Nenggiri.
Muhyiddin’s speech courted controversy after the public and political quarters accused him of touching on 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues, causing police reports to be filed against him nationwide.
In his speech, Muhyiddin reportedly questioned the responsibilities and role of the former Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, as he expressed his grievances over not being appointed prime minister following the 2022 polls.
The speech also drew the ire of Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, who wanted police to take decisive action against Muhyiddin.
On Monday, Muhyiddin had defended his “factual” speech as one that had no intention of insulting the former king, adding that he believes his statement does not violate any law of the country. – August 22, 2024