Bersatu Supreme Council member and Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan has confirmed that statutory declarations (SDs) were collected from division chiefs prior to the party’s annual general meeting (AGM) on September 9.
However, he refuted claims that the move was intended to challenge party president Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership, alleging that certain parties had misrepresented the initiative’s purpose.
“The collection of SDs is accurate, but certain quarters have distorted its true intent,” Wan Saiful told FMT.
He was scheduled to appear before Bersatu’s disciplinary board at noon today to address the issue but revealed that the meeting has been deferred to a later date. “My aim is to meet the board to clarify who twisted the narrative to suggest the SDs were aimed at toppling the party president, as that was never the intention,” he stated.
A viral WhatsApp message had alleged that Wan Saiful was summoned under Article 23 of Bersatu’s constitution for reportedly orchestrating the SD collection to support Muhyiddin’s deputy, Hamzah Zainudin, in a bid to assume party leadership.
Reports also surfaced that, hours before Muhyiddin’s keynote address at the AGM, 122 of Bersatu’s 169 division chiefs attended a lunch gathering 5 kilometers from the Ideal Convention Centre, where the assembly was held, in an apparent show of dissent.
During his policy speech, Muhyiddin acknowledged a plot to gather signatures to oust him, which sparked significant disruption at the event. Despite the unrest, the AGM concluded with delegates unanimously endorsing Muhyiddin as Bersatu’s prime minister candidate, securing his leadership position
