KUALA LUMPUR: An Umno leader has demanded that former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin apologise for allegedly questioning the sovereignty of Sultan Pahang during the Nenggiri by-election campaign.
Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi said Muhyiddin had gone "overboard" by dragging Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah's name while in a ceramah for the recently concluded polls.
"Muhyiddin must openly apologise first. He must be investigated immediately. Strict action must be taken against him," he said in a Facebook post earlier today.
Puad claimed that the viral recording of Muhyiddin's speech contained "serious accusations", which suggested that the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong was unfair.
"The statement, 'Tetapi entah macam mana YDP Agong waktu itu tidak ajak jemput saya ke Istana untuk angkat sumpah (but somehow the Agong at the time did not invite me to the palace for the oath-taking ceremony) clearly carries undertones of incitement.
"Moreover, the statement was made in the open during a political campaign.
"Five days have passed, and Muhyiddin remains silent and has not apologised. Is he fit to be prime minister again?" he questioned.
A speech by Muhyiddin, who is also Perikatan Nasional chairman, allegedly touching the sovereignty of Al-Sultan Abdullah during his tenure as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong had gone viral recently.
In his speech, he claimed that he had the backing of 115 members of Parliament after the 2022 general elections and that the king should have called him to be sworn in as the 10th prime minister.
The Pahang police had received 28 reports on the matter.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said they would be calling Muhyiddin to provide his statement tomorrow to facilitate investigations.