KUALA LUMPUR - Selangor Perikatan Nasional Chairman, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, has claimed that there were requests from Umno President, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, for support when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as the Prime Minister.
He stated that this included a request to appoint Zahid as the Deputy Prime Minister and to intervene in the court cases he was facing.
However, Azmin clarified that Muhyiddin remained firm in his principle of not interfering in any ongoing court cases.
Azmin made these statements during a podcast episode of "Keluar Sekejap" hosted by Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan last night.
"Yes, these were among the demands presented by Zahid as Deputy Prime Minister. At the same time, he also requested Muhyiddin to take on the role of Prime Minister to intervene in his court matters.
"As he is currently suing Muhyiddin in this matter, I have also submitted an affidavit to the court confirming my presence in the discussion and the several requests made by Zahid to clear his name. However, I won't provide details as it pertains to the court case.
"But, the main point is, the principle adopted by Muhyiddin is that he cannot interfere in any cases being heard in court. For me, this is a stance that deeply resonates with me," Azmin elaborated.
He further expressed his admiration for Muhyiddin's stance, even when the former Prime Minister was facing a slim margin and an unstable administration.
Azmin also explained that this was one of the reasons behind Muhyiddin's downfall after the withdrawal of support by 15 Members of Parliament.
Subsequently, he said that Muhyiddin was prepared to hand over the leadership to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, with clear conditions, including the absence of any kleptocracy in his administration.
Hence, Mohamed Azmin stated, this illustrates the difference in leadership compared to the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. - AWANI