KUALA LUMPUR • Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's sacking from the Cabinet has stirred Umno members in its southern bastion of Johor and that needs to be fixed quickly, Johor leaders told Malaysia's online news sites yesterday.

At least one division in Johor said it will continue to invite the former deputy prime minister to its functions.

Several Johor Umno leaders said the attacks by several leaders on Mr Muhyiddin for saying that Prime Minister Najib Razak must explain to the people about the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal was unwarranted, the Malay Mail Online said.

Datuk Seri Najib dropped Mr Muhyiddin and four other ministers from the Cabinet on Tuesday.

This followed what Mr Muhyiddin had said on Sunday at an Umno function. He said that Umno had lost public support due to poor handling of the 1MDB saga, and that he had asked Mr Najib to resign from the troubled state investor and to give an explanation to the people.

The Umno Youth chief of Labis Umno division, Mr Mohd Shahir Hudin Ali, was quoted by the Malay Mail Online as saying that Mr Muhyiddin's sacking was not well-received as he still commands strong grassroots support.

"The feedback so far is that this issue will affect our chances in the next general election," he said. "The feedback about the Cabinet reshuffle was resoundingly negative, tensions were high."

Mr Muhyiddin, 68, was born in Muar in western Johor. He is the MP for Pagoh in the north and was Johor's Menteri Besar for nine years to 1995.

Visiting a mosque in Pagoh yesterday, Mr Muhyiddin said, as quoted by The Malaysian Insider: "I pray that the party leadership will be given the guidance to do the right things so that the people will continue to support it."

He added: "If there is no brave and stern action by the party, the people will not have faith in Umno and Barisan Nasional."

The vice-president of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) Mohd Amar Abdullah yesterday invited Mr Muhyiddin to join the opposition party "if he feels that he can no longer stay in Umno".