Thirteen Bersatu Members of Parliament aligned with former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin have called for the party to leave or be expelled from Perikatan Nasional (PN), deepening the crisis within the opposition coalition following PAS's decision to sever ties with the party.
In a joint statement, the 13 MPs said PAS's decision was unsurprising given what they described as the "arrogance" of party president Muhyiddin Yassin and secretary-general Azmin Ali. They claimed their internal criticisms had been ignored and that the party's disciplinary board was "misused to silence" them.
Among the signatories are Ronald Kiandee (Beluran), Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah), Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (Tanah Merah), Rosol Wahid (Hulu Terengganu) and Khlir Mohd Nor (Ketereh).
The MPs also demanded a restructuring of all state executive council positions held by Bersatu representatives. They claimed Bersatu no longer has value within PN, pointing to the party's declining parliamentary strength after losing several by-elections and seeing defections since the 2022 general election.
"If Bersatu remains in PN, its weakness and Muhyiddin's arrogance will cripple the coalition," the group warned.
The statement follows PAS's announcement earlier this week that it was ending political cooperation with Bersatu and would explore forming a new political pact aimed at uniting the ummah ahead of upcoming state elections. Muhyiddin has said Bersatu was saddened by PAS's decision but would remain in PN as a founding component party.
The internal revolt represents the most significant challenge to Muhyiddin's leadership since Bersatu's formation and raises questions about the party's viability as an electoral force in the Negeri Sembilan and Johor elections.
Sources: Malay Mail
