Bersatu supreme council member Dr Afif Bahardin has hit back at suspended party vice-president Ronald Kiandee’s claim that former PKR leaders in Bersatu may have pushed for cooperation with Pakatan Harapan in Selangor.

Online portal Free Malaysia Today quoted Ronald earlier today as naming Afif (above), Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali and youth chief Hilman Idham - all former PKR leaders - as possibly having a role in the proposed cooperation.

Afif turned the accusation on Ronald, alleging that the Beluran MP had himself previously manoeuvred to bring Perikatan Nasional closer to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after Bersatu and PN lost federal power.

“Ronald was from BN. He joined Bersatu after BN lost in 2018, and later, when Bersatu and PN were no longer in government, he was busy manoeuvring to bring PN closer to Zahid,” Afif told Malaysiakini.

Ronald had previously acknowledged accompanying former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin to meet Zahid in Bangkok last year.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin later alleged that Hamzah led negotiations with Zahid over a new political configuration without approval from the party’s top leadership. Muhyiddin said Ronald attended the meeting, but his role was less serious than Hamzah’s.

Afif further blamed Ronald (below) and several others for Bersatu’s worsening ties with PN.

“Bersatu has now been sidelined from PN because of the instigation by Ronald and a handful of others.

“So it is now up to those who remain loyal to Bersatu to shape the party’s future, including deciding which coalition or political parties Bersatu should cooperate with,” he said.

Bersatu’s estrangement from PN

The exchange comes amid a broader realignment in opposition politics, with Bersatu increasingly estranged from PAS-led PN while exploring cooperation with Harapan.

Bersatu has accused PN’s current leadership of sidelining the party and lodged complaints with the Registrar of Societies over alleged breaches of the coalition’s constitution.

PN leaders have, in turn, accused Bersatu of trying to cripple the coalition ahead of the Malacca state election.

The dispute also overlaps with Bersatu’s internal split. Ronald was suspended for six years amid disciplinary action against supporters of Hamzah (below), who now leads PN component Wawasan Negara.

Afif also sought to distinguish Ronald's political position from that of Bersatu leaders who remained with the party.

“The difference between us and Ronald is that Ronald defends kleptocrats, while we do not.

“That is why Ronald could not remain in Bersatu and uphold the principles that Bersatu stands for,” he added.

Ronald claimed that Bersatu’s current leadership had long sought closer ties with Harapan and that negotiations for a pact with the Selangor government had merely made those intentions clearer.

He suggested the leadership may previously have been reluctant to openly pursue such cooperation because figures like him opposed that political direction.

Leave it to top leadership

On the proposed Selangor pact ahead of the state's budget, Afif said the matter should be left to Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and Bersatu’s top leadership.

“As for Bersatu-Harapan negotiations in Selangor, we leave it to the Selangor menteri besar and Bersatu’s top leadership to decide,” said the Taman Medan assemblyperson.

Amirudin (below) reportedly said on Thursday that Bersatu assemblypersons would sign a pact with the Harapan-led Selangor government before the state budget is tabled; the terms are still being finalised.

The proposed pact comes amid strained ties between Harapan and BN, which are partners in both the federal and Selangor governments, while Bersatu has also fallen out with PAS, which chairs PN.

The 56-member Selangor state assembly comprises 32 Harapan representatives, 11 from Bersatu, 10 from PAS, two from BN and one independent.