Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi has dismissed claims that Bersatu remains a key component in helping Perikatan Nasional attract voters.
Puad said Bersatu had already lost much of its appeal, particularly after a fallout between party president Muhyiddin Yassin and the party’s founding chairman, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir and Muhyiddin co-founded Bersatu in 2016 to challenge Umno. However, Mahathir was removed from the party in May 2020 after refusing to support Muhyiddin’s government in the Dewan Rakyat and opting to sit with the opposition bloc.
Bersatu increasingly reliant on PAS
Muhyiddin later became prime minister following the Sheraton Move in February 2020, which led to Mahathir’s resignation as Bersatu chairman and the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration.
Puad said Bersatu had since become heavily dependent on PAS to maintain its political standing.
“Ever since then, Bersatu has been heavily dependent on PAS. But because of their worsening conflict, Bersatu’s level of attraction will only diminish further,” he said in a Facebook post.
Internal divisions highlighted
Puad also argued that if Bersatu still possessed strong political appeal, former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin and several leaders aligned with him would not have challenged the party leadership.
He was responding to remarks by Terengganu Bersatu chief Razali Idris, who maintained that Bersatu and PAS continued to complement each other’s political strengths and should preserve their cooperation.
Razali said Bersatu was capable of attracting fence-sitters, professionals and younger voters, while PAS contributed a strong election machinery and extensive campaign experience.
PAS reviewing cooperation with Bersatu
Razali’s remarks came amid PAS’s ongoing review of its relationship with Bersatu, including the possibility of contesting the next general election without Muhyiddin’s party.
