KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi decided the party’s MPs could table no-confidence votes against the prime minister during the supreme council meeting yesterday, according to a source.

The person said Ahmad Zahid did not reveal this during the press conference held after the meeting, according to an Utusan Malaysia report today.

The Malay daily quoted the source as saying it was unknown why the Umno president chose not to reveal that he has given the party’s 38 MP the freedom to submit the no-confidence votes.

"The president’s summary of the results of last night’s Umno supreme council meeting actually contained the issue of allowing freedom to Umno Parliamentarians.

"However, it was not stated by the president, that matter was surely within the (president’s) summary. I do not know why the matter was not mentioned during the press conference,” the source was quoted saying.

In a virtual press conference late last night, Ahmad Zahid announced Umno’s withdrawal of support for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his government, citing a litany of failures related to their handling of the pandemic, political instabilities, and the failing economy as their justifications.

Ahmad Zahid demanded during the address for an interim prime minister be appointed for a limited time to handle the current pandemic and to subsequently advise the Yang Di Pertuan Agong to accede for a general election be called.

This morning, vehicles ferrying Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun were spotted entering Muhyiddin’s house in Bukit Damansara here at around 9.40am.

The Utusan Malaysia report today then quoted another unnamed source who related how Umno’s election director Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was among the more vocal personalities during last night’s meeting in opposing the decision to withdraw support from Muhyiddin.

Tajuddin reportedly stressed how now was not a good time to withdraw their support for the prime minister or to trigger a general election as Umno’s own election machinery was ill-prepared for "war”.

The source revealed that Tajuddin also questioned Umno’s motives for proceeding, given their adamant position to not work with Perikatan Nasional component parties.

"Tajuddin said he explained the matter based on statistics he collected when he himself went on the ground from state to state, but the President remained mum and did not answer the question,” the source said.

Parliament will convene for five days starting July 26.