PAS pushes for PN restructure to empower, elevate Hamzah

Summary

• Sources reveal the move is designed to position Hamzah as PN’s next prime minister candidate.

• PAS has no interest in the PM’s post because “enemies will attack from all directions”.

PAS has proposed to restructure Perikatan Nasional, aiming to grant significant operational powers to opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, who also serves as Bersatu’s deputy president.

Under the proposed changes, an executive committee helmed by Hamzah would be formed to oversee PN’s operations, while the presidents of PAS, Bersatu, Gerakan, and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party would retain their roles in the existing supreme council.

According to sources, the move is designed to position Hamzah as PN’s prime ministerial candidate, ready to take the reins if the coalition captures Putrajaya in the next general election.

“The rest of the structure remains unchanged, just a new committee is being formed, like setting up a bureau,” a source told Malaysiakini.

PAS not keen on PM post

A Bersatu leader privy to the discussions said the Islamist party has no appetite for claiming the country’s top job.

“They believe that in Islamic movements around the world, when the leadership is led by Islamists, enemies will attack from all directions,” the leader claimed.

The idea was reportedly discussed during a high-level meeting on Feb 18 in Kuala Lumpur, involving 10 top PN figures - five each from PAS and Bersatu.

The meeting was chaired by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and attended by his deputy Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Bersatu’s delegation was led by vice-president Radzi Jidin, flanked by leaders including Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

However, the proposal appears to be stalled amid internal resistance - specifically from a faction aligned with Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali. This group is said to favour establishing a PN secretariat council with Azmin at its helm instead.

Malaysiakini has reached out to leaders and their aides for confirmation, but none have responded so far.

Leadership refresh

Tuan Ibrahim, PAS’ number two, told Malaysiakini on April 10 that PN was expected to undergo a broad restructuring and leadership refresh.

His remarks followed internal tremors in PN after Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar abruptly resigned as treasurer-general.

His departure came just a day after PN unveiled its new top leadership line-up - appointing Azmin as secretary-general and brushing aside PAS Youth’s push to install Takiyuddin Hassan in the post.

Amid the talk of change, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz downplayed claims of any formal restructuring.

“Based on my understanding, in the last PN supreme council meeting in February, no proposal for a restructuring of PN was tabled, discussed, or decided upon,” said the leader from Azmin’s camp.

Still, he acknowledged that conversations about refining the coalition’s setup were ongoing.

“There have been various proposals from different parties that are being discussed, considered, and agreed upon,” he said.

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