Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has denied that Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali is the source of the current turmoil in the party.
Appointment made to strengthen Bersatu
The Bersatu president said Azmin possesses extensive political experience but was not someone he particularly favoured after joining the party, according to Sinar Harian.
Muhyiddin explained that he appointed the former PKR deputy president as secretary-general purely to bolster the party’s position.
He added that Azmin has been carrying out his duties professionally and as normal.
No evidence of special favour
Muhyiddin pointed out that if he truly favoured Azmin, he would have cleared the path for him to become deputy president during the 2024 party elections.
“If I truly favoured him, I could have elevated Azmin to the deputy president’s post, but I didn’t do that,” he said.
“So I don’t think there’s any question of me favouring him. It may be the perception but that’s not the reality… I treat everyone fairly.”
Path cleared for Hamzah
He highlighted that former deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu had magnanimously stepped aside to allow Hamzah Zainudin to be elected unopposed as deputy president in 2024.
Faizal, a former Perak menteri besar and one of the party’s co-founders, chose not to defend the post.
Instead, he contested and won one of the three vice-presidency positions alongside Ronald Kiandee and Radzi Jidin.
Azmin was appointed secretary-general shortly after the party polls.
Azmin’s political background
Azmin, who also served as a former minister and Selangor menteri besar, was a key figure in the Sheraton Move in 2020 that toppled the Pakatan Harapan government.
He led a group of PKR leaders and MPs out of the party, including Zuraida Kamaruddin, Edmund Santhara Kumar and Saifuddin Abdullah.
None of them remain with Bersatu today.
Saifuddin was sacked last month after calling for Muhyiddin to resign as party president.
About The Author
