Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has claimed that his party was not the only one to receive financial aid from Bersatu. He alleged that during the 2020 Sabah state election, Bersatu president and then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin provided RM10 million in funding to Umno.
“When Muhyiddin was prime minister and Bersatu was in government, he gave assistance to anyone in need, including Umno and Barisan Nasional, even though they did not contest under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner and later betrayed him.
“All PN candidates received fair assistance. Just like in the Sabah election when Umno/BN lacked funds, Annuar Musa requested help and Umno’s secretary-general at the time was given RM10 million,” Tun Faisal wrote on Facebook.
He claimed the money was later handed by one of Annuar’s aides to an officer of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the Magellan Hotel in Sabah. Tun Faisal was a close aide to Annuar then.
His remarks were in response to Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who recently alleged that Bersatu’s funding of PAS during GE15 confirmed rumours that PAS abandoned Umno for financial reasons. Asyraf was Umno Youth chief during the 2020 Sabah polls.
Tun Faisal added that Muhyiddin extended such financial support despite knowing that Zahid and several Umno MPs were planning to defect. “All these funds and assistance were given quietly, without belittling or humiliating anyone,” he said.
PN is now embroiled in a leadership struggle, with PAS seeking to take control of the opposition bloc. At PAS’s recent annual congress, election director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor took a veiled jab at Bersatu, accusing it of relying on PAS’s funds.
Muhyiddin’s former aide Marzuki Mohamad later countered, saying PAS had received “substantial financial contributions” from the Bersatu president during GE15, which contributed to its electoral success.
