Cracks reappear in Malaysia’s opposition party Bersatu with secretary-general Azmin Ali called ‘unfit’ to lead

KUALA LUMPUR: Tensions within Malaysia’s opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) have resurfaced, with a supreme council member publicly describing secretary-general Azmin Ali as unfit to lead. 

This led other party members to call on Tuesday (Sep 30) for disciplinary action against Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the Tasik Gelugor Member of Parliament who spoke out against Azmin a day earlier.

The feud comes less than a month after a public display of dissent against party president Muhyiddin Yassin at Bersatu’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Sep 6, which analysts had said could undermine his position as the party’s prime ministerial candidate in Malaysia’s next general election. 

In the wake of Wan Saiful’s comments and the comeback by other Bersatu members, analysts told CNA that these cracks within the party could harm its image among voters and be exploited by political opponents.

At a press conference on Monday, Wan Saiful said Azmin was “not suitable to be a Bersatu leader” so long as the controversy surrounding a leaked video several years ago “remains unresolved”. 

Wan Saiful was referring to video clips that surfaced in 2019 allegedly showing Azmin - then Minister of Economic Affairs - engaging in sexual acts with another man. 

At the time, Haziq Aziz, who was affiliated with Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), part of the ruling coalition at the time, confessed he was one of the men in the video. He named Azmin, then PKR’s deputy president, as the second individual. Haziq claimed that the video was taken at Four Points Hotel in Sabah during the Sandakan by-election. 

Azmin refuted the allegations in 2019 and described them as a plot to destroy his political career. 

In January 2020, Malaysia’s then Attorney General Tommy Thomas said nobody would be prosecuted as facial recognition could not be achieved due to poor resolution of the video recordings. Azmin joined Bersatu in 2020.

“If it is political persecution, yes we must defend (our leaders) and fight but if it is a morally deviant issue, then they are not suitable for a party like Bersatu,” Wan Saiful was quoted as saying by local media on Monday. 

“Other parties may be able to accept it, but not Bersatu.”

Wan Saiful also claimed Azmin and Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz had threatened division leaders allegedly linked to a plot to oust Muhyiddin as party president, reported media outlet Free Malaysia Today. 

At last month’s party AGM, some delegates had heckled Muhyiddin to step down as president. 

About 120 division chiefs signed statutory declarations urging Muhyiddin, a 78-year-old former prime minister, to give way to party deputy Hamzah Zainudin, 68, news outlet Utusan Malaysia reported. 

But at the AGM, Muhyiddin was still confirmed as Bersatu’s prime ministerial candidate if the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition wins Putrajaya at the next general election.

RIFTS SHOW NO CLEAR SUCCESSION MECHANISM IN BERSATU: EXPERT

The latest turmoil could trigger further cracks within Bersatu, which is already facing leadership and other issues after losing power at the federal level in 2022, socio-political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya told CNA.

The recent wave of incidents show Bersatu “does not have a clear mechanism on succession planning”, said Syaza Shukri, an associate professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia. 

“From just factionalism, this has turned into an all-out war for leadership within Bersatu,” she told CNA. 

“Is there a plan for Hamzah to take over? If it is Azmin, it is (also) not clear and it doesn’t seem that he is in line to take over.”

The internal rifts could strain political cooperation within the Perikatan Nasional opposition bloc that Bersatu is a component of, along with the Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), observers said.

It could allow PAS to position itself as the more competent party within the opposition bloc, Syaza said. PAS currently has 43 elected members while Bersatu has 25 in Malaysia’s 222-member House of Representatives.

“PAS will use this as an opportunity to demand a prime minister candidate … so it’s more about leadership within PN,” she added. 

Malaysia’s next general election is due by 2028, and Syaza previously told CNA that if Muhyiddin could not rally his own party, questions would be raised on whether he could lead a multi-party coalition.

But the scandal highlighted by Wan Saiful is an old one, analysts noted. 

Azmin’s position would not be “immediately threatened”, Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman said, noting Azmin’s political credentials and grassroots support.

“Azmin has long been regarded as an important figure due to his influence among (Bersatu’s former) PKR members, his expertise in political strategy and connections with elite economic networks. But open criticism from a party figure like Wan Saiful can raise questions about internal cohesion and the actual level of support for Azmin,” Awang said.

The 10 Bersatu Selangor assemblymen who hit back at Wan Saiful on Tuesday accused him of trying to shift attention from his own legal troubles, news site Free Malaysia Today reported. Wan Saiful is accused of accepting and soliciting bribes of almost RM7 million in relation to a government aid programme.

Johor Bersatu chairman Sahruddin Jamal also said the matter must be promptly handled by the party’s disciplinary board to preserve confidence in the party’s credibility, Free Malaysia Today reported.