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DATUK Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said he was the mastermind behind moves to oust former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to save Umno from getting banned.
Speaking at the launch of the Cameron Highlands Umno division meeting, the Umno president said he did so to save Umno from getting deregistered.
"I must state, and admit, that I was the mastermind who brought down Dr Mahathir at that time because there was no way Umno could be banned, insulted and accused of various things, including as thieves or corrupt, " he said as reported by Berita Harian.
The deputy prime minister also described the move as vital as Dr Mahathir had wanted to deregister Umno.
Zahid said he knew that Umno was going to be banned and that this was confirmed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Institut Latihan Memperkasakan Umno.
"Anwar told us that the papers to ban Umno were on the then home minister's table during Dr Mahathir's second tenure as prime minister. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was the home minister then.
"Umno members, especially the leadership, asked me to identify the best approach to ensure the party was not banned and I had to find a way.
"If you remember, at the 2018 Umno general assembly, I mentioned that Umno would be part of the government, if not the government, soon, but this was mocked by some people," he said.
Zahid also said that he would reveal everything in his upcoming memoir.
“Just now I shared only 10 per cent, 90 per cent will be in my book. Usually, people write books when they are retired, but I am not retiring yet as long as Umno is not a dominant party, as long as that is the case, my colleagues and I will continue in Umno.
“Hopefully, it will serve as a guide for future Umno leaders who will take over my place,” he said.
Dr Mahathir stepped down as prime minister in February 2020, leading to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in what is known as the Sheraton Move.
This led to a new government formed by Bersatu, Barisan Nasional and a PKR faction led by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, while Muhyiddin took over as prime minister. - The Vibes, August 10, 2024