PMO: PM not sick, rumours on DPM appointment false

Speculation that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was undergoing cancer treatment again was not true.

In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that such claims were made by those with bad intentions.

"Doctors treating the prime minister have certified that he is cancer-free," it said. 

Meanwhile, the PMO added that there was no truth to claims that a deputy prime minister would be appointed.

Yesterday, Sin Chew Daily speculated that Muhyiddin had left it to Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to decide among themselves who should be deputy prime minister.

However, the candidate must be someone who could rein in the different factions in Umno and not let the party threaten the stability of the Perikatan Nasional Plus government, according to the report.

Citing sources, the report said Muhyiddin had always reserved the deputy prime minister's position for Umno, but could not appoint Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who nominated himself, because of the latter's court cases.

"Ismail has a senior position in Umno and is linked to the Zahid-Najib Abdul Razak faction. By choosing Ismail, Muhyiddin can minimise unhappiness in Umno," the source told Sin Chew. 

However, the report said that Muhyiddin favoured Hishammuddin.

Hishammuddin has been actively portraying his political activities of late, including a visit to the palace in Johor and to his cousin former premier Najib.

Hishammuddin's posturing came amidst confirmation that Muhyiddin had lost the support of another Umno MP.

Currently, Muhyiddin can count on the support of 110 out of 220 MPs at most.

So far, two Umno parliamentarians - Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub (Machang) and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Gua Musang) - have stated that they will not support Muhyiddin.

Another Umno lawmaker, Nazri Abdul Aziz (Padang Rengas), said he was considering the same and would make a final decision tomorrow.

Umno is expected to openly debate a resolution, on whether or not to demand fresh elections to be held by the first quarter of this year, during the party's annual general assembly on Jan 31.