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(The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today took one step closer to a confrontation with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, after urging him to set a timetable for the speedy handover of power.
He cautioned the Umno party president that things will be unstable in the ruling party until there was a clear succession plan. This was the second time in three days that the Umno vice-president has attempted to speed up the leadership change. At a close-door briefing to Federal Territory grassroots leaders, he ended weeks of straddling the fence and called into question Abdullah’s fitness to lead the country. In an interview with Reuters, he said: "There is a need for the (succession) plan to be put in place now rather than later. The prime minister has mentioned that Najib is his successor. But the question people are asking is, when? I cannot answer that. "The best option is for both leaders to sit down and be open about things." Bowing to pressure from the ground, Abdullah has said that he will contest the party elections and hand over power to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak before the end of the term, possibly by 2010. But his critics argue that if he stays on too long it would give his successor much time to reform Umno and help Barisan Nasional regain the support of non-Malays. So far only Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has offered to contest the party president’s position. In contrast, Muhyiddin has chosen to fight in the shadows. Several Umno politicians interviewed by The Malaysian Insider feel that the Minister of International Trade and Industry should resign from the Cabinet if he has lost confidence in Abdullah’s ability to lead the party and government. Abdullah’s supporters will most certainly be urging him to make a pre-emptive strike against the Johor politician. But it is unlikely that the PM, who returns from Japan tonight, will force Muhyiddin’s resignation. He has shown an unwillingness to use the powers that come with incumbency. Muhyiddin said today that Umno risked fading into political oblivion if it lacked strong leadership. "We are facing a very challenging time and we need new strength to face this, in terms of leadership, capabilities and many other things. It cannot be business as usual because the situation is unusual. You need new wisdom," he said, hoping that the succession plan would be discussed when Umno meets on June 5 to brainstorm the strategy to reinvent the party. "How could you say we can resolve this without looking at the issue of not just one leader, or leaders but leadership to carry the party forward, to revive the party," he said, noting that nothing is sacred in Umno these days.
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