Sacked Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin and 18 other opposition MPs aligned with him have publicly declared their support for Perikatan Nasional after the appointment of its new chairman.
Joint statement offers full backing
The group of 19 MPs, which includes 13 who remain members of Bersatu, issued a joint statement congratulating PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar on his appointment as PN chairman today.
They praised the decision as a serious consolidation that shows the coalition is genuinely ready to serve the people and contribute to rebuilding the nation.
“As MPs, we will continue to support PN as PAS leads the coalition,” the statement read.
The MPs promised to give Samsuri their complete support in guiding the opposition alliance forward.
Leadership transition finalised
Earlier today, the PN Supreme Council unanimously appointed Samsuri as chairman, filling the position left vacant by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin had stepped down from the chairmanship on January 1 and has now been named a PN deputy chairman.
The change represents an important shift in the leadership structure of the opposition coalition.
Hamzah Zainudin, the current opposition leader, along with three other Bersatu MPs, was sacked from the party on February 13 during an internal leadership conflict with Muhyiddin.
Reports suggest Hamzah and his supporters are preparing to assume control of another political party in the coming week.
Discussions on opposition leader position
At the same Supreme Council meeting, leaders from PN’s component parties reached an agreement that PAS should take over the opposition leader role presently held by Hamzah.
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan later clarified that the coalition has not yet made a final decision on the matter.
He explained that PAS requires additional time to study and deliberate on the proposal carefully.
