(The Malaysian Insider) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin continued applying pressure on Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi today, saying Umno and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition needed urgent reforms to avoid losing the next general election.
The Umno vice president did not specifically what kind of reforms he was referring to, but he is among a host of senior leaders who have already called for Abdullah to retire early amid widespread unrest in Umno."If nothing happens then I am not sure if the life span of BN and Umno can be sustained beyond the year 2013," he said, in reference to the end of the current government's term of office.
"It is a very serious situation. It is of concern not only to Umno members but to the country at large, to the Barisan Nasional and people who care about what is happening to the government."Muhyiddin has been particularly critical of the transition plan hammered out between Pak Lah and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, which will see the latter taking over by 2010.
He said it should be Umno members who decide who they want as their leader.
Umno's divisional elections will start after Hari Raya Puasa and will see nominations come in for the top party posts.
Senior Umno leaders are eager to put together a common stand on the transition plan by then, to ensure the party is not split as it chooses its leaders while facing a considerable threat from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
Muhyiddin and a number of other leaders appear to support moves for Abdullah to leave office earlier.
"What has been agreed upon is only a convention. There is no such provision in the constitution," he said. "We don't elect leaders unconstitutionally. We elect leaders based on procedures."
Bernama quoted Muhyiddin as saying that it was up to the Prime Minister now to decide if he would hand over power before Oct 9, when the Umno divisions will start their meetings.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, he believed that Abdullah knew what was happening on the ground.
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