Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has claimed that former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin attempted to remove him from the party’s top post after he stepped down as prime minister.
Muhyiddin said efforts to replace him began after he left Putrajaya, but he remained party president after delegates unanimously backed him to continue serving at Bersatu’s 2023 annual general assembly.
He said he had intended to retire as party president but decided to remain after members rejected his decision.
‘I had expressed my intention to step down as president at the 2023 annual general assembly, but the delegates unanimously rejected it.
‘To avoid disappointing party members, I decided to continue serving for this term, which will be my final term,’ he said in an interview with Berita Harian.
Muhyiddin said he had personally backed Hamzah for the deputy presidency as part of a planned leadership transition, believing it would strengthen Bersatu’s future leadership.
‘I was given the mandate by the Supreme Leadership Council to prepare a succession plan. To ensure Bersatu remained strong, I named Hamzah as deputy president.
‘Because of that, he won the position uncontested. Unfortunately, after winning the position, he acted against party discipline,’ he said.
Claims of coordinated leadership challenge
Muhyiddin alleged that Hamzah later became involved in efforts to pressure him into resigning, despite the deputy president’s role being to support the party president.
He claimed several division leaders had been encouraged to call for his resignation, allowing Hamzah to assume the role of acting president without contesting the presidency.
‘When I look back, perhaps this was the grand design from the beginning.
‘He did not challenge me for the presidency, but obtained my endorsement to win the deputy presidency uncontested.
‘Then a movement was created to remove me so he could become acting president. To me, this was not gentlemanly,’ he said.
Muhyiddin said his succession plan ultimately failed, leading to divisions within the party and disciplinary action against several members and elected representatives.
He described the disciplinary measures as a last resort after internal efforts to resolve the dispute proved unsuccessful.
‘If you ask me personally, I did not want disciplinary action to be taken against anyone.
‘But violations of party discipline happened openly and extensively, causing division within the party. The action had to be taken to stabilise Bersatu,’ he said.
Bersatu looking beyond PN
On the growing rift between Bersatu and PAS, Muhyiddin maintained that Bersatu remains a legitimate member of Perikatan Nasional (PN), despite PAS ending its cooperation with the party.
He argued that any party choosing to sever ties within a coalition should leave voluntarily rather than forcing another member out.
‘If we are unhappy with a friend in the same house, we should be the one to leave. We should not force our friend out,’ he said.
Muhyiddin said the current situation had reduced Bersatu’s ability to use PN as its main political platform, particularly after PAS moved closer to Barisan Nasional in the Negeri Sembilan election.
He added that Bersatu would have to consider a new political arrangement with like-minded parties ahead of the next general election.
Muhyiddin also revealed that he has begun informal discussions with several parties outside the current government bloc, questioning whether a united opposition still exists following the closer cooperation between PN and BN.
‘PN was previously the single opposition bloc in Parliament, but now it has cooperated with BN, which is part of the government.
‘Today, Bersatu is among the parties that remain in opposition,’ he said.
Muhyiddin reiterated that his current term will be his last as Bersatu president, saying the party will eventually undergo a leadership transition to strengthen its position ahead of the next general election.
