'Compromise team' shows Muhyiddin's capability: Bersatu leader

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s ability to ease tension among party leaders during the party polls shows he is a capable leader, said a member of the party’s supreme council.

Dr Afif Bahardin said the results of the recent party election, where the “compromise team” put forward by Muhyiddin emerged victorious, proved that point.

“I don’t think there are camps. Maybe some people said things where some stated so and so person was favoured and otherwise.  

“But if you look at the polling results, everything happened as suggested by the party president… where the deputy president candidate was not challenged.

“For the vice-president posts, of course, there were contests but the candidates who won were the ones suggested during the past (party) convention,” Afif told Malaysiakini.

Managed democracy

On Nov 4, Muhyiddin’s “compromise” team consisting of Ronald Kiandee, Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, and Ahmad Faizal Azumu won vice-president positions in the party election.

They triumphed over Selangor Bersatu deputy chief Mohd Rafiq Mohd Abdullah, Bersatu information chief Razali Idris, and Batu Kawan Bersatu chief Aziss Zainal Abidin.

Hamzah Zainudin, previously the secretary-general, won the deputy presidency uncontested.

Leaders aligned with former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali - who formed his so-called “cartel” - were also elected to the supreme council.

They are Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah and Afif, who is the Taman Medan assemblyperson.

Azmin is also expected to be appointed as the new secretary-general.

This is in line with Muhyiddin’s announcement in July about a “formula” for the party’s top five positions to ensure unity.

Last month, Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal claimed Muhyiddin was “deeply upset and disappointed” that several members of the supreme council had been working to undermine the agreed-upon compromise plan.

Anwar’s failure in PKR

On that note, Afif contrasted Muhyiddin’s leadership of Bersatu to Anwar Ibrahim as PKR president, claiming the latter failed to contain confrontations in his party.

“If you look at it (Bersatu polls), it was not a confrontation but a contest between who will become party deputy president… is it Hamzah, Faizal, or Azmin?

“And that was resolved by Muhyiddin, but others like Anwar were not able to do such things,  even as party president.

“He failed to contain the confrontation between Azmin and Rafizi Ramli (in the PKR polls) in the past. Anwar even failed to contain the confrontation between Rafizi and Saifuddin (Nasution Ismail).

“Therefore, if PKR holds its polls next year, I believe there will be another confrontation which Anwar will again fail to contain. This is vastly different from Muhyiddin’s leadership,” Afif, a former PKR member, added.

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