Mukhriz stays put but urges PM to go

Jerlun member of Parliament Mukhriz Mahathir today said he will not join his father in quitting Umno.

Instead, he urged party president and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down "as soon as possible" from his leadership posts in Umno, Barisan Nasional and government.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, he explained that while he agreed with his father, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s action in withdrawing from the party, there are other ways to bring change to the party.

"I understand and agree with the action that my father had taken because the action he has taken is due to his love for the party.

"I also believe that to achieve this objective ... there is more than one approach. Therefore I am not resigning from Umno and as Jerlun MP," he said to a rousing applause from his supporters who were present.

Yesterday, Mahathir made a shocking announcement that he was quitting Umno with immediate effect as a sign of protest against Abdullah's ‘weak’ leadership.

Mahathir's wife Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali also joined him in resigning from the party.

Haven't discussed with Dr M

Meanwhile, Mukhriz said he has yet to discuss this matter with this father.

"I have yet to speak to him about my decision. To be frank, he might be disappointed that I am not following suit (with his decision). If I get a chance I will explain it to him," he said.

"It is not for me to persuade him to stay on. He has made a decision and you know he is not the type who changes his mind," he added.

According to Mukhriz, he may opt to quit the party if no positive action is taken by the party in resolving this issue by the branch meetings set to begin in July.

"My preference is that action will be taken (against Abdullah) before the beginning of our branch meetings which is in July. Then I reserve the right to make a different stance on the matter," he said.

He admitted that he has been pressured from several parties to resign but chose to remain steadfast on effecting changes from within.

"I must admit that I have friends who talked to me about leaving and some of them have left the party. But there is an equal amount of them who urge me to stay and effect changes from within," he said.

He noted that he will not compromise on the issue and will support whoever that will challenge Abdullah for the top party post.

"The party is no longer the party we know it to be. It no longer fights for the rights of the Malays.

"I will support whoever that will challenge Abdullah for the leadership. We will wait and see who they are," he said.

Earlier today, Mukhriz was conspicuously absent from a meeting which Abdullah held with all Umno MPs in Parliament.

Mukhriz to boycott pro-Pak Lah meets

He explained that he does not want to attend any more meetings that involves endorsing Abdullah as a leader.

"At the end of that meeting, they will say all MPs are 100 percent behind him and I did not want to be part of that.

"I hate to be in a meeting with the PM which endorses him as the leader when I do not share the same feelings about that. Some MPs do not share that stance too," he said.

The parliamentarian noted that he is not afraid of disciplinary action since no action was taken against him after he wrote a hard hitting letter urging Abdullah to step down.

"I am sure I am not alone in this. If the party practices the democracy that it says it has, it is our right to voice our opinion in the party’s interest," he said.

Mukhriz also confirmed that he will continue to vie for the Umno Youth chief post in the coming party polls in December.

Also present at the press conference to show support for Mukhriz were some 20 branch and division leaders.

Watch the 7-min video in Malaysiakini.tv.