'Muhyiddin, there's no need to be nostalgic' - Zahid Hamidi

The advice came from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who said that it is better for Muhyiddin to give his support to the current leadership than going against it.

“I think the reality that must be faced is that there is no need to be nostalgic for something that could have happened but never became a reality.

“We have to support the current leadership because it was chosen by the rakyat in the last general election,” he said at a press conference after officiating the closing ceremony of the National Consumer Day 2015 at Dataran Merdeka on Sunday .

He said this when responding to Muhyiddin’s statement during a dialogue session titled ‘Berani Kerana Benar’, organised by Sinar Harian in Johor Baharu, on Saturday.

In the dialogue session, Muhyiddin had said that former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had asked him to challenge Abdullah’s position after Barisan Nasional (BN) whipped up its worst performance in 2008.

However, because at that time Muhyiddin was the vice president and Najib was the deputy president, the latter was given the chance to replace Abdullah.

“At that time, Dr Mahathir was not the Prime Minister so he had no power to choose anyone to be Prime Minister.

“If anyone does not feel a person should helm the leadership, then that person can offer himself to another organisation and prove to the rakyat that he is better than the current leadership.

“It's better for us to wait until the next GE so that we can be in the same ‘ring’. We will see who the rakyat chooses,” he said.

On another matter, Ahmad Zahid stressed the large allocation for Sabah and Sarawak in the recently announced Budget 2016, is not aimed to woo the states’ voters.

“This is proof the Malaysian government is concerned and wants to provide good service to its citizens.

“I think Sarawak deserves the special allocation,” he said.

When tabling Budget 2016 on Friday, Najib had put priority to the development and well-being of the people in Sabah and Sarawak in a bid to improve the economic and social development of the two states.