UMNO deputy president Mohamad Hasan has suggested that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin can return to the party which sacked him in 2016.

He said that Muhyiddin, who is now Bersatu president, may return if he wants to rejoin Umno, adding that such a move will have a positive impact for both parties, especially in seat distribution for the next general election.

“If he has the intention to come back, we can change the decision of sacking him.

“He will become the prime minister that is supported by the largest party and has the biggest number of members of parliament, it will be easier.

“There will be no problem in the elections, for example seat allocation,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with Malaysia Post.

Muhyiddin was sacked from the party in June 2016 for questioning then prime minister Najib Razak’s handling of the 1MDB scandal. A year earlier, he was sacked as the deputy prime minister.

Mohamad, popularly called Mat Hasan, said this in response to calls by several Umno leaders for Muhyiddin to return to Umno.

 Umno Johor liason deputy chairman Nur Jazlan Mohammed and Padang Rengas MP Mohamed Nazri Aziz were among those who had urged the PM to join Umno again.

Mohamad said Umno has no problem naming Muhyiddin as their PM candidate for GE15.

He said Muhyiddin was accepted by the people.

“Why don’t we name him as PM for Muafakat Nasional? There is no issue. 

“What is important we get a comfortable win,” he said.

Muhyiddin was home minister in the Pakatan Harapan government.

In February, he took his party Bersatu out of PH and formed a pact with Umno and PAS, together with Barisan Nasional party components as well as parties from east Malaysia.

In March he was sworn in as the prime minister. – July 24, 2020.