Analysis: Former Malaysia premier Muhyiddin’s political future in doubt as a crisis rocks his Bersatu party
A quiet rebellion is brewing in Mr Muhyiddin's opposition party with several of its elected parliamentary representatives breaking ranks to publicly declare their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
KUALA LUMPUR: A political mutiny is spreading in the opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), signalling serious troubles ahead for its embattled president, former premier Muhyiddin Yassin.
Four Bersatu elected Members of Parliament have in recent weeks publicly declared their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, an unprecedented breaking of ranks in an opposition party already beset with tensions in its leadership.
At an emergency leadership meeting on Thursday night (Nov 9), Mr Muhyiddin reportedly blamed the crisis on unidentified quarters who were bent on weakening the party and alleged that financial inducements had been offered to the Bersatu parliamentary representatives to switch allegiances.
Mr. Muhyiddin added that the party would be filing reports with the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the matter.
The developments at Bersatu, an ultra-nationalist ethnic Muslim- Malay political entity, are being closely watched because of the party’s oversized role in Malaysia’s political tumult in recent years despite its modest representation in Parliament.
The party and its chief ally, the right-wing Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, have been strong promoters of a brand of ethnic Malay religious populism, often referred to as the so-called “green wave” that has stoked unease among domestic and foreign observers of Malaysian politics.
.png?itok=kPKHK0r1)
How the Bersatu crisis plays out in the coming weeks will shape national politics for the rest of Mr Anwar’s mandate before he calls for fresh polls sometime in mid-2027.
“Bersatu has always relied on PAS and now the crisis is showing that the party is a hollow (political) vessel,” said Mr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi, who is the chief executive officer of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies Malaysia.
BERSATU’S JOURNEY
Bersatu was founded by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Mr Muhyiddin in 2016 after both politicians left the long-established United Malays National Organisation(UMNO) over deep differences with then-premier Najib Razak.
The party went on to play a crucial role in the historic victory by the multi-racial opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in the general election two years later and subsequently assumed leadership roles in government.
Dr. Mahathir was premier for 22 months, before Mr Muhyiddin wrested control of the premiership by leading a group of Bersatu defectors to form a new coalition government with factions in UMNO and the right-wing Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).
Even after Mr Muhyiddin was forced to relinquish his premiership after 17 months, Bersatu leaders remained as central players in government until the general election in November 2022 that eventually paved the way for Mr Anwar to take over the premiership.
Mr Muhyiddin’s party currently has 27 elected MPs in the 222-member lower house and the party’s leadership has been reluctant to sack the rebelling MPs over fears that it could lead to more elected representatives opting to throw their support for the Anwar government.
Already, the four Bersatu MPs have requested that they be seated along-side government backbenchers, showing that they intend to make a clean break with the opposition.
The latest splintering in the Bersatu ranks reflect the growing restlessness in the party that is bereft of any political funding after its accounts were frozen by the authorities over allegations of abuse of power when the party was in government and concerns over the future of the party’s leadership.
Bersatu insiders acknowledged that Mr Muhyiddin and his deputy, Hamzah Zainuddin, who currently leads the opposition backbenchers in Parliament, do not see eye-to-eye on many issues.
Mr Hamzah, who is keen to take over the Bersatu leadership, does not have widespread support in the party.
Separately, the 76-year-old Muhyiddin is fighting corruption charges in court over the abuse of power when he was premier for 17 months beginning March 2020, casting serious doubts over whether he would be able to lead the party in the next general election.
BERSATU’S TROUBLES
For Mr Muhyiddin, it is not only about keeping his Bersatu party together. He is becoming increasingly politically isolated, noted political analysts.
His relations with Dr Mahathir remained strained after both politicians fell out when Mr Muhyiddin staged a coup with UMNO and PAS to take over the premiership in 2021.
Meanwhile, the PAS leadership has warmed up to Dr Mahathir.
The Islamic party, which controls the four state governments of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, has appointed the 97-year-old politician as its unofficial advisor.
For Mr Anwar, who will mark his first year as premier on Nov 24, the troubles at Bersatu have only helped him consolidate power.
With the four Bersatu elected representatives now backing his coalition government, the Anwar administration currently enjoys a two-thirds majority in Parliament, potentially keeping concerns of a “green wave” at bay.
“The crisis (at Bersatu) should give Anwar and his government the breathing space to implement policies,” said Mr Syed Azman of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies Malaysia.
