All eyes on Umno supreme council meet tonight

The Umno supreme council will convene tonight to discuss the issues raised during the BN MPs meeting in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Speaking to the media after the two-hour BN meeting, Umno supreme council member Zahidi Zainul Abidin said no decisions were made.

However, he said the views and suggestions raised during the meeting would be brought to the Umno supreme council for further deliberation.

Earlier, Malaysiakini quoted Zahidi as stating that among the issues which cropped up during the BN meeting was to withdraw support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“(There were) all sorts of views. But the majority of them said 'no Anwar Ibrahim, no DAP',” he added in reference to cooperating with the opposition leader and Pakatan Harapan.

Met before the meeting, Umno treasurer-general Hishammuddin Hussein said BN lawmakers would discuss Muhyiddin's position.

Asked if Umno is still supporting the Perikatan Nasional government, he replied: “I don't know, we have to wait for Umno's meeting first.”

However, after the BN MPs meeting, Hishammuddin said the matter was not raised during the meeting.

"No... we discussed how can we move forward," he said.

"I think we have to find a way to move forward. Whatever decision we are going to make, it must be on the basis that is good for the rakyat and country," he said.

Sinar Harian reported that the Umno Supreme Council may decide to withdraw the support of BN MPs' for Muhyiddin.

"This includes 26 BN MPs who were given positions (in government) by Muhyiddin. They, too, would not support the premier," said the source.

The meetings come in the wake of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday rejecting Muhyiddin's proposal to declare a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhyiddin, who became prime minister through a political coup dubbed the Sheraton Move, is facing the possibility of a counter-coup.

In one corner, Anwar claims that he has sufficient support from lawmakers to form the government while in the other corner, Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad appear to have teamed up to dislodge Muhyiddin.

The octogenarian and nonagenarian pair are pushing for a no-confidence vote against Muhyiddin during next month's Parliament sitting.

Following Anwar's audience with the Agong on Oct 13, where he claimed to have presented documentation of the support for him, Umno dropped a bombshell.

The party announced it is contemplating withdrawing its support for Muhyiddin's government, which is clinging on to power with a two-seat majority, and would renegotiate terms.

Political observers saw this as an attempt by Umno to force the prime minister into making certain concessions.

On Oct 21, following discussions between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Muhyiddin, Umno reversed its stance.

Umno agreed to observe a political ceasefire in view of the rising Covid-19 cases and pledged to back the government's efforts to combat the pandemic and revive the economy.

Apart from turning down the emergency declaration, the Agong also rebuked MPs who were politicking and asked them not to proceed with any action that could threaten the stability of the government.

Proponents of the emergency declaration, which would also see the proroguing of Parliament, argued that it was crucial in order to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which has worsened since last month's Sabah polls.

However, critics claimed that the premier was attempting to cling on to power amid fears that rebels within his government could turn on him during the Budget 2021 vote next month.