Malaysia's Bersatu, PAS trade barbs over Hamzah Zainudin's return as opposition leader

KUALA LUMPUR: Two of Malaysia’s main opposition parties Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) have traded barbs over PAS’ reappointment of former federal minister Hamzah Zainudin as Leader of the Opposition.

Both parties are founding members of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition coalition although PAS had announced that it had severed ties with Bersatu last week.

Bersatu information chief Faisal Ismail Aziz said that the Islamist party’s decision was a unilateral one that was made without proper consultation and against a previous decision by the PN supreme council.

“These … announcements not only disregard the principles of consensus and unity that have long underpinned PN but also run contrary to the coalition’s constitution,” Faisal said, as reported by local media platform The Star on Monday (Jun 15).

Hamzah – a former Bersatu deputy president – was sacked from the party in February. He then resigned as opposition leader in April following months of limbo.

Hamzah then launched the Reset movement, a political platform geared towards national reform, and unveiled his new party – the Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan) – over the weekend.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang then announced on Saturday that Hamzah was to be reappointed as the opposition leader. Wawasan was also allowed to use PN’s logo in the upcoming state polls.

With his reappointment as opposition leader, Hamzah takes over the role from Terengganu Chief Minister Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who will stay on as PN chairman.

Faisal stressed that the PN supreme council in March had decided that a PAS lawmaker be appointed opposition leader following Hamzah’s expulsion from Bersatu.

He further noted that PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan had said in May that the coalition was open to electoral cooperation or pacts with other parties and individuals who share its principles and vision.

“It was stated that non-member parties may negotiate through a committee that would set the terms and conditions. However, there is still no indication that such a committee has been formed,” said Faisal.

THE PREFERRED CHOICE

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had on Saturday night said the party had wanted to retain Hamzah in the role from the outset because of his performance and the support he commanded among opposition lawmakers.

“Actually, from the very beginning, we wanted to retain Hamzah because of his performance and because many members of parliament were with him. It was just that Bersatu was not particularly comfortable with Hamzah’s position at the time, as he had been expelled from the party.

“So when he formed a new party (Parti Wawasan Negara) … we thought we should continue to retain him (as Leader of the Opposition),” Tuan Ibrahim was quoted as saying by Malaysian news platform Berita Harian.

Separately, Kelantan PAS Youth chief Firdaus Nawi said that Hadi’s announcement of Hamzah’s return as opposition leader was a “knockout blow” to Bersatu, sending a “clear signal” to the former ally.

“It sent a clear message that PAS remains the main force setting the direction of opposition politics, while Bersatu is losing value and influence,” he said, according to local news platform Sinar Harian.

Firdaus further accused some Bersatu leaders of being more interested in attacking PAS and Hadi than repairing ties within the opposition bloc.

“They expected PAS to become weak once ties between PAS and Bersatu started to crack. But the reality is that PAS continues to move forward with its own strength,” he said.

Analysts whom CNA spoke to previously said that the split between PAS and Bersatu was an inevitable outcome that signals the end of the PN opposition coalition in its current form and the onset of a new Malay political realignment.

They had said then that in the short term, PAS would prioritise a pact with a breakaway Bersatu faction led by Hamzah, while a more formal cooperation with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) remains a longer-term possibility.

Hadi – the PAS president – had said that Bersatu’s future within PN will be made during the coalition’s central working committee meeting on Jun 17.