Bersatu Supreme Council member Saifuddin Abdullah says the party’s disciplinary board should summon president Muhyiddin Yassin to testify at his hearing.
In a statement, Saifuddin said it had been alleged that he had called for Muhyiddin to resign as party president.
Saifuddin said he has several questions he intended to raise with the disciplinary board.
“These questions can only be answered by Muhyiddin and not by the complainant, the investigator, myself or the disciplinary board.
“Therefore it is only appropriate and necessary for Muhyiddin to be summoned to provide an explanation to the disciplinary board on these issues I intend to raise.”
He said the disciplinary board would only be able to decide on the allegations levelled against him once they have reviewed Muhyiddin’s testimony.
Saifuddin said Muhyiddin’s answer would show whether his suggestion for the president to step down should be construed as attacking the former prime minister or smearing the party’s image.
It had been previously reported that Saifuddin had openly criticised Muhyiddin in news interviews and in a joint statement by several Bersatu divisional leaders.
The former minister had also claimed that Muhyiddin is no longer the leader he once admired, prompting calls for disciplinary action to be taken against him.
The call for Muhyiddin to be summoned to his disciplinary hearing was among the three demands Saifuddin had listed regarding his hearing.
He also called for two of the board’s members, namely Radzi Manan and Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif, to recuse themselves, citing possible conflict of interest.
Saifuddin noted that Radzi is the father-in-law of Bersatu vice-president Ahmad Faizal Azumu, while Sasha had previously worked with Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali.
Saifuddin also wants the disciplinary board to reveal the identity of the person who investigated his case and the complainant who had levelled the allegations against him.
