Umno in no hurry to act against Citizens’ Declaration signatories, says info chief

Umno information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa says the party will take into account the view of grassroots members before acting against members who conspired with the opposition. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, March 9, 2016.Umno will stay calm and is not in a hurry to act against party members who signed or supported the Citizens’ Declaration spearheaded by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, says Umno information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

However, he said, the party would not underestimate the issue and would take into account all aspects, including the views of its grassroots, before acting against members who conspired with the opposition.

“Moreover, we have various bureaus and committees within the party to assess what has happened. Umno will not panic. We are calm, but we will take this seriously, and not view lightly what has happened.

“At the same time, discipline and rigour has always existed in the party. Let the people judge what has happened,” he said while appearing as a guest on the talk show Soal Jawab on TV3 at Sri Pentas today.

Annuar, who is also Ketereh MP, was commenting on the action of former prime minister Dr Mahathir on Friday, who led a group of more than 40 leaders, including Lim Kit Siang of DAP and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Mohamed Azmin Ali of PKR, to sign a declaration to support the ouster of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister.

Other signatories included former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Annuar said whatever issues which arose, including efforts to topple the government, should be dealt with wisely.

“Despite whatever problems that may arise, we should not leave behind and forget the mandate given by the people. Look at the problems of the people, the country, the internal problems as well as those from outside.

“At the same time, it should be remembered, that the prime minister cannot be removed or ousted with such a declaration or campaign.

“The opposition can create many issues, but we, as the government of the day, should find the solutions, we still have two more years (before the next general election), we should not all just give up our work, we should prioritise the people’s interests.”

Annuar said the people should look at the declaration campaign wisely and assess who were the people behind it, as well as their motives.

“There are three categories of people watching a movie. The first are those who will be swayed by the storyline and get carried away. Second are those who watch it but control their emotions.

“The third are those who will think about the director, actors and so on. So as a veteran politician who has seen many types of politicking in the country, I see this declaration in the context of the third category.

“This is because Tun Mahathir is a strategist. So we have to look a few steps ahead. It must be remembered, that he is very clever in using other people’s abilities to fulfil his own ambitions.” – Bernama, March 9, 2016.