Wan Saiful suggested the action may have been meant to give Muhyiddin’s supporters additional time to lobby PN component parties to reject the resignation.
The former Bersatu Supreme Council member claimed the PAS letter was sent to express appreciation for Muhyiddin’s service as PN chairman.
He added that the contents of the letter appeared to indicate PAS’s acceptance of the resignation.
“This letter can, in principle, be understood as PAS’s acceptance of Muhyiddin’s resignation as Perikatan Nasional chairman,” he said in a statement today.
“Is it possible that die-hard supporters around Muhyiddin advised that the letter be temporarily withheld to give them room to lobby PN component parties to reject Muhyiddin’s resignation?”
Muhyiddin had earlier announced he would step down as PN chairman effective January 1, after leading the coalition for five years.
The announcement triggered heightened speculation about his successor, with names such as PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar being mentioned.
Concerns over chairing the Supreme Council meeting
Wan Saiful also questioned whether Muhyiddin should preside over the upcoming PN Supreme Council meeting, which is expected to be crucial in determining the opposition bloc’s future direction.
The former Bersatu information chief expressed doubt over the validity of any meeting convened to confirm the chairman’s resignation if Muhyiddin himself were to chair it.
He described this as a potential conflict of interest.
“The PN Supreme Council is expected to meet in the near future,” he said.
“Without doubt, the main agenda will be the issue of Muhyiddin’s successor following his announcement that he intends to step down effective Jan 1.”
“Therefore, confirming the chairman’s resignation should be the first item on the agenda of the upcoming Supreme Council meeting, which raises the question of whether Muhyiddin can properly attend and chair that meeting.”
“In fact, the Supreme Council can appoint one of the deputy chairmen to preside over the discussion,” he added.
Wan Saiful, who was expelled from Bersatu in October, further argued that Mohamed Azmin Ali and Radzi Jidin should not attend the meeting.
Both had already resigned as PN secretary-general and PN information chief respectively.
According to him, resignations other than that of the PN chairman do not require Supreme Council confirmation and take effect from the agreed date.
“If Muhyiddin still wishes to attend the Supreme Council meeting, once his resignation is confirmed, he must leave the meeting before it proceeds to the second agenda item.”
“It would be better for the deputy secretary-general to issue the meeting notice without inviting Mohamed Azmin and Radzi,” he said.
Call for Registrar of Societies oversight
Wan Saiful urged the Registrar of Societies to ensure the meeting follows established procedures strictly.
“They are desperate for Muhyiddin to remain,” he said.
“Therefore, today I sent an official letter to the Registrar of Societies director-general, Mohd Zulfikar Ahmad, to ensure that the meeting adheres strictly to proper procedures.”
