Acquittal sets stage for former Malaysia PM Muhyiddin to solidify leadership roles in Bersatu, PN, says analyst

Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin will likely be increasingly vocal in the coming days as he seeks to reclaim his role within his Bersatu party and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition after he was acquitted of power abuse charges, an analyst said on Tuesday (Aug 15).

He was cleared of four counts of abuse of power involving RM232.5 million (US$50 million), though he still faces three other charges of money laundering.

Senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Dr Oh Ei Sun noted that the PN coalition has come to be dominated by one component party, the Islamist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).

“(Muhyiddin) has in a sense yielded the platform to his partner party PAS in championing the fate of his coalition. But now, having his somewhat triumphant spirit reinstalled, I think he will be much more vocal and proactive in reclaiming the mantle of his Perikatan Nasional (coalition) in the Malaysian political arena,” Dr Oh told CNA’s Asia Now.

He added that the acquittal of the four charges means that Muhyiddin can solidify the leadership of PN for himself and for his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) party within the coalition.

“It’s what he's aiming for primarily at the moment,” he said.

Dr Oh added the political fortunes of Muhyiddin and his coalition are rising. PN won 146 out of 245 seats up for grabs across six states in Saturday’s polls, and made headway into states held by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan coalition.

The state seats in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Penang were contested in the Aug 12 polls. The six states held their elections separately from Malaysia's general election last November as they decided not to dissolve their respective state assemblies back then.

THE COURT CASE

Muhyiddin was charged with using his previous position as prime minister and president of Bersatu to obtain bribes from three companies and an individual for the party.

He was charged with committing the offences at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Mar 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.

On Tuesday, Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin ruled that the four abuse of power charges were vague, flawed and unfounded because they did not specify the details of the offences committed.

Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania James Chin said that Muhyiddin has always maintained that the money was never meant for him.

“He has made a consistent argument that this money was never meant for him personally. It was basically what we might call political funding. It was money donated to his party. It just happens that he was the president of the party, so he was there to receive it on behalf of Bersatu,” he said.

This is a “major issue” that the legal system will have to deal with – whether political parties can receive money directly from donors especially when hundreds of millions of dollars are involved, said Prof Chin.

Muhyiddin’s support base will see the acquittal of the charges as a victory and a confirmation of what he has been saying since he was charged - that this is very much a political persecution, he added.

IMPLICATION ON OTHER CHARGES

The acquittal of the four charges will have “major implications" for the other set of charges related to money laundering, Prof Chin said.

The government is appealing against the acquittal, but if that is not successful, then the money laundering charges cannot go ahead, he said.

“Whatever it is, this is a major, major, political event in Malaysia, especially coming on top of the massive victory by Muhyiddin’s coalition, Perikatan Nasional on Saturday,” said Prof Chin.

“Now that he's been acquitted of these corruption charges, he has a lot to celebrate.”

Muhyiddin may have bigger plans, said Dr Oh.

He and the PN coalition will build on the momentum of their strong showing at the state elections and try to “shake” the federal government such that the Members of Parliament currently professing support for Anwar, might slowly and gradually change their mind and switch their support to PN in the future, he said.