WITH more than 100,000 individuals signing a petition for Senior Minister (International Trade and Industries) Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali’s sacking, an Umno leader opined it would be difficult to remove the former as he was “protected”.
“Even though more about 142,173 people have signed the petition, I don’t think Azmin will get the boot like Prasarana Malaysia Bhd former chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.
“Azmin is unshakeable. Nothing can stop him despite being plagued with controversies, from personal to his ministry. He only kept on denying with a straight face due to his ‘bargaining power’,” Umno supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi said in a Facebook post.
Two days ago, netizens started an online petition seeking the removal of the senior minister for allowing many sectors to operate despite a “total lockdown”.
Azmin’s decision drew ire from many, including former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob even tweeted a cryptic message saying, “I have closed the front door but…”.
Puad claimed that Azmin has strong connections; having firm grip on a “fix deposit” to retain Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister.
The former deputy minister added that Azmin was an asset to Perikatan Nasional (Perikatan), just like Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin.
“The Gombak MP is a man who delivers. He can convince more Opposition MPs to shift their support to Perikatan.
“Hamzah is also making a lot of statements these days. Things are getting messy but can Muhyiddin put a leash on the duo?” asked the former Batu Pahat MP. – June 5, 2021.
