Tun Faisal: No pact for Hamzah to replace Muhyiddin

Summary

• Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has denied claims that party president Muhyiddin Yassin made a pact to appoint his deputy, Hamzah Zainudin, as his successor.

• He says Muhyiddin never mentioned a succession plan at any party event and has instead stated he would lead the party until GE16.

• Tun Faisal adds that the issue is no longer relevant, as Hamzah has publicly stated his support for Muhyiddin.

Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said there is no pact for the party’s president Muhyiddin Yassin to appoint his deputy Hamzah Zainudin to be his successor.

He said Muhyiddin had never mentioned the matter in any of the party's retreats or annual general assemblies.

Tun Faisal (above) therefore questioned the rationale behind the statutory declarations signed by Bersatu division chiefs to pressure Muhyiddin to hand over the party's leadership to Hamzah.

“There is no such thing. So why did they sign? Oh, if you follow what was said, there was a promise that Hamzah would be the successor (as president). So, they assumed (that).

“There was only one retreat in Gopeng. The only conclusion from the Gopeng retreat was to fully entrust the president so he could determine the formula for the party election. That's all.

“Was there a promise (of a succession)? No. Was there a promise at the Selayang Convention? Was there such an announcement? No. At the 2024 AGM? Was there such an announcement? No.

“The only thing that happened was that the president said he would lead the party until the 16th general election," he said in a KiniTV podcast.

The issue of the power transition in Bersatu became heated again when a commotion broke out at the party's AGM after Muhyiddin revealed a plot to collect signatures, including statutory declarations, to oust him as president.

READ MORE: Chronology of push to oust Muhyiddin

The situation became tense when some delegates chanted “turun Tan Sri” (step down, Tan Sri) in response to Muhyiddin's speech, before another group countered with cries of “hidup Tan Sri” (long live Tan Sri). The tussle between the two groups forced the security team to intervene to defuse the situation.

Issue no longer relevant

However, a source who is also a member of the Bersatu supreme council told Malaysiakini that the issue of the statutory declarations was not yet over and claimed that more than 120 division chiefs had signed the document to pressure Muhyiddin to resign.

But Tun Faisal insisted that the issue was no longer relevant since Hamzah himself had come out in open support of Muhyiddin.

“But if Hamzah himself has made a statement - openly supporting him, even a number one supporter - this means everything else is no longer relevant,” he said.

In a separate development, Tun Faisal also commented on the statement by PAS election director Sanusi Nor, who said that Perikatan Nasional component parties relied on PAS in the 15th general election.

He described the statement as an attack against Bersatu and not merely an opinion.

“We have to differentiate. One is an opinion. We can respect this opinion, and we can bring it up in PN.

“What is different is an attack. That's not right; if you want to give an opinion, give it maturely.

“Okay, we (PAS) are the strongest party, we are the party with the most money. So, we want to be the leader,” he added.

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