Hamzah officially takes Wawasan Negara's helm

Former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin has been appointed as the president of his new political outfit, Parti Wawasan Negara.

Veteran politician Rais Yatim, who quit Bersatu in April, was named the party’s chairperson, according to Harakah Daily.

The PAS mouthpiece also reported that former Johor Bersatu associate wing chief Tan Lek Khang will serve as Hamzah’s deputy, while Saifuddin Abdullah, who was sacked from Bersatu in January, will be Wawasan Negara secretary-general.

It said Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, a former Bersatu supreme council member, was appointed information chief.

According to the report, five vice-presidents were appointed from “diverse backgrounds”.

They are:

• Former Umno leader Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik

• Ex-Bersatu leader and Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan

  

• Former Parti Cinta Malaysia president Huan Cheng Guan

• Ex-Pahang Bersatu associate wing chief Leong Kim Soon

• Corporate figure Omar Mustapha

READ MORE: 'M'sian face, not multiracial mask': Saifuddin details vision behind Hamzah's new political venture

Other key appointments include former Federal Territories Bersatu leader Badrul Ezan Yusof as executive secretary and treasurer-general Arifin Tobias, who was Hamzah’s aide during his time as home minister.

Central committee

Additionally, the party announced a list of 25 central committee members, including:

• Former Gerik Bersatu secretary Fathul Huzir Ayob

• Ex-Bersatu leader Azahari Hasan

• Former Universiti Teknologi Mara vice-chancellor Ibrahim Shah Abu Shah

• Tan Tee Beng, who left PKR in 2010 to become an independent politician

• Sacked Bersatu leader Suhaimi Ghazali

  

• Former Johor Bahru Bersatu chief Zulkifli Bujang

• Ex-Federal Territories Bersatu associate wing chief Simon Suresh V Varunamegam

• Former Perkasa president Syed Hasan Syed Ali

READ MORE: No room for 'ketuanan': Saifuddin bets on principled unity to win non-Malay trust

This comes after Hamzah and other Wawasan Negara figures gathered in Petaling Jaya yesterday for an extraordinary general meeting.

At a Reset convention on June 13, Hamzah revealed Wawasan Negara, with the party’s name supposedly given by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Hamzah was sacked from Bersatu four months ago amid protracted factionalism within the party and a leadership dispute with its president, Muhyiddin Yassin.

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