No need for PN to announce prime minister candidate now, says Hamzah

 

Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin said PN’s prime ministerial candidate could come from either PAS or Bersatu.

PETALING JAYA: 

Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin has dismissed the urgency for Perikatan Nasional to name a prime ministerial candidate, saying the decision must be made carefully to ensure unity within the coalition.

In the Keluar Sekejap podcast today, Hamzah questioned whether an immediate announcement was necessary.

“Do we really need to announce it now? Yes, it is a ‘wow factor’, but at the same time, we need to be cautious and ensure that whatever we do doesn’t create a storm within the party.

“We don’t want that to happen. What we want is to have proper discussions, decide (on the matter) carefully, and make sure the choice is well accepted within PN itself,” he said.

Podcast host Khairy Jamaluddin had asked who would be PN’s prime ministerial candidate if a general election was held today.

Asked whether the candidate could come from PAS, Hamzah replied: “There is nothing wrong with that, but there’s also nothing wrong if the candidate comes from Bersatu.”

PN’s prime ministerial candidate is still subject to ongoing discussions within the coalition.

PAS has not officially named Muhyiddin Yassin as the candidate, suggesting that it might prefer one of its leaders as the party is the largest bloc in PN with 43 parliamentary seats.

However, Bersatu vice-president Ahmad Faizal Azumu said Muhyiddin remains PN’s sole candidate for the prime minister’s position at the next general election.

Hamzah also acknowledged concerns that PAS is now operating more independently within PN, as the Islamic party leads in the state governments of Perlis, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.

“That is what we are trying to resolve, to make sure that whatever we do is done under the PN banner,” he said.

Addressing criticism about Bersatu’s relatively weaker grassroots network compared to PAS and Umno, Hamzah said that despite being only eight years old, Bersatu now has 600,000 members and 8,000 branches.

He noted that Bersatu has survived challenges, including the emergence of Pejuang – another Malay-based party – and the departure of some Sabah members to join Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

“As a former secretary-general and now deputy president, I am proud of this progress. It’s not easy to reach such numbers in such a short time,” he said. - FMT