The Umno deputy president will address supporters at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, tonight, after being barred from speaking at the general assembly.
Observers see this as his willingness to be suspended, or even sacked.
"It looks like Muhyiddin no longer cares about the action he could face.
"He will fight the president,” Pokok Sena Umno activist Ramli Yunus told The Malaysian Insider.
The party's Kota Raja division head, Mohd Hamidi Abu Bakar, felt that Muhyiddin was anticipating the punishment he could face, using the gathering to continue his attacks on Najib.
"Muhyiddin stands to face stern action, but we respect his bravery.
"This will be his platform to speak as an Umno member before his anticipated sacking from the party," said Hamidi.
He said Muhyiddin appeared to be pressured between his political future and the grassroots who want him to continue speaking up, and this time, he has chosen the future of the party over his own political survival.
"Many politicians are worried, we actually want to keep Muhyiddin and hope he won't be sanctioned.
"But the grassroots want him to speak up, I think Muhyiddin is placing the party's importance above himself," he added.
Hamidi did not discount the fact that the deputy president's support base might grow, or at least, the grassroots would know why he no longer supported Najib.
"This is the start of a bigger movement so that Umno members understand why there are some who are not on the same page with the president," he said.
Party sources have confirmed that a few top and veteran leaders would attend today's gathering in Kampung Baru, including former president, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
There is also the grassroots movement among disgruntled branch leaders, dubbed Gabungan Ketua Cawangan Malaysia (GKCM) or “Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia”, who said they, too, would attend today’s gathering.
Disgruntled Umno branch chief who form the Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia have called for Datuk Seri Najib Razak's resignation. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 7, 2015.Disgruntled Umno branch chief who form the Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia have called for Datuk Seri Najib Razak's resignation. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 7, 2015.A spokesman for the group, Rushdan Mohamed, said the gathering organised by Muhyiddin was proof that Umno had not strayed from its main goals, and that the party did not belong to any individual.
"The gathering today is proof that there is still a fighting spirit in Umno and that the party does not belong to any individual but to the people," said Rushdan
Rushdan, who heads Umno's Rista Villa Perdana branch in Selangor, said Muhyiddin had to take this route of organising his own gathering because the top leadership had limited the democratic space in Umno.
"The democratic space in Umno no longer exists, and the gathering by Muhyiddin is one way for him to meet Umno members.
"After all, isn't he the choice of three million members? He also has the right to meet Umno members," he added.
Numbers would not be an issue, said Rushdan, adding that it was more crucial that Muhyiddin be allowed to say what he needed to.
"That not many will attend is not the issue, it is enough to show there are still reliable leaders to place our hopes on," he added.
GKCM has urged Najib to resign and criticised the lack of explanation over debt-ridden state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), as well as the RM2.6 billion funds channelled into the prime minister's accounts.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir recently said Muhyiddin must take risks and face the consequences.
"As in business, there is bound to be risk.
"Muhyiddin needs to be brave enough to face them," he said.
Last Tuesday, the Umno Supreme Council decided that the meetings of the three Umno wings would be officiated by the respective heads and no longer by the deputy president, a proposal which Najib said was from the wings themselves.
However, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the Supreme Council would decide on Wednesday night on who would reply to points raised by delegates during the debate.
“In my opinion, as of today, the president is enough. There’s no need for other people.
“That is my opinion. Wait till the meeting of the Supreme Council, maybe (they will decide),” he said during a press conference at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
The Umno general assembly begins tomorrow with the opening of the three wings’ meetings.
Muhyiddin lost his deputy prime minister's post in a Cabinet reshuffle, after criticising Najib's handling of 1MDB, the state company which has been mired in debt.
He has continued to speak against the prime minister on these matters. – December 7, 2015.
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