PETALING JAYA: A former Umno treasurer has played down Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin’s claim that 115 MPs signed statutory declarations backing him to become the prime minister, saying these documents do not guarantee the top post.
Usukan assemblyman Salleh Said Keruak said the SDs could not be taken at face value as they do not guarantee the MPs’ support.
“They have to be verified by the physical presence (of the MPs) to confirm that they are authentic, that their support is real, as well as the truth of the matter.
“Therefore, Muhyiddin must now call upon those non-PN MPs, whom he claimed had signed the declarations, to verbally and openly confirm their support (for him) after the 15th general election (GE15).
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This morning, Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi also challenged Muhyiddin to summon the non-PN MPs.
“This (submitting the SDs to the police) alone is insufficient. There must be an open, verbal acknowledgement from the MPs who are not affiliated with Perikatan Nasional to prove the authenticity of these SDs.
"Without confirmation from these MPs, the SDs may have been used to mislead the public who are unaware of the full story," he said, adding that "only the palace knows the truth"..
Muhyiddin is being investigated by police for a speech during the Nenggiri by-election campaign, in which he questioned why he was not invited by the former king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to become the prime minister after GE15.
The Pagoh MP said he had obtained a simple majority and had the backing of enough MPs to form the government.
The Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, had expressed anger at Muhyiddin over his remarks, accusing him of deliberately disparaging the former king.
But the former prime minister maintained that his speech was not intended to insult the monarchy or incite the public, but was factual.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin submitted several documents to assist in the police probe, including the 115 statutory declarations from MPs who purportedly backed him after GE15.
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