From Umno stalwart to Bersatu No 2 – and the sack

 FMT takes a look back at the events that culminated in Hamzah Zainudin's expulsion from Bersatu.

Hamzah Zainudin, who was sacked by Bersatu yesterday, had been an Umno stalwart before he left for Bersatu in 2018, rising to become party deputy president, and parliamentary opposition leader.

PETALING JAYA:

 Four-term MP Hamzah Zainudin’s standing as opposition leader is now in limbo following his sacking from Bersatu amid a bitter feud with party president Muhyiddin Yassin.

A seasoned figure in Malaysian politics, the former Umno man had been touted as a potential prime minister candidate for Perikatan Nasional, and credited by Khairy Jamaluddin as being a political operator who could resolve any issue.

The now-former Bersatu deputy president was sacked yesterday amid a push for Muhyiddin to hand over the top post to him, though he still has the option of appealing the decision.

FMT takes a look back at the events that culminated in Hamzah’s expulsion.

Umno stalwart to Sheraton Move architect

Hamzah built his political career in Umno, serving as a senator from 2000 to 2006 before winning the Larut parliamentary seat for Barisan Nasional in 2008.

Seen as a dependable operator rather than a national heavyweight, he held key deputy minister positions from 2008 to 2015 under prime ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak before being promoted to a full ministership by Najib.

Hamzah’s real ascent began after the 2018 general election, when Umno lost federal power for the first time.

He was among six MPs who quit Umno in December 2018, citing a loss of confidence in party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, before joining Bersatu two months later.

He then played a key role in the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020, making overtures to PAS and Umno prior to the infamous Sheraton Move.

This placed him in Muhyiddin’s good books as the Bersatu president went on to take over as prime minister, with Hamzah awarded the prominent home minister’s post and appearing to be one of Muhyiddin’s most trusted allies.

Opposition leader, Bersatu No 2

Following PN’s failure to form the government after the 2022 general election, Hamzah was appointed as parliamentary opposition leader, a decision that surprised many since Muhyiddin was still PN chairman and Bersatu president.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is said to have pushed for the role to be given to Hamzah, who was still Bersatu secretary-general at the time.

As Hamzah grew in national prominence as leader of the opposition, pressure slowly mounted on Muhyiddin to relinquish the Bersatu presidency, which he did in November 2023.

This was short-lived, however, as Muhyiddin backtracked on his resignation the next day, giving rise to discontent in camps not aligned with the Pagoh MP.

The rift between Muhyiddin and Hamzah only widened as time progressed. In 2024, the former prime minister also had to deal with calls from PAS leaders for the PN chairmanship to be ceded to the Islamic party.

But all appeared externally fine and dandy between Muhyiddin and Hamzah. In late 2024, Muhyiddin negotiated a formula to allow for Hamzah to be elected Bersatu deputy president uncontested.

This appeared to be a step towards putting a succession plan in place in Bersatu, with Hamzah even claiming in November last year that Muhyiddin wanted to pass the party presidency to him eventually.

‘Bersatu at war’

Tensions came to a head last year with the infighting no longer kept under wraps. At the 2025 Bersatu general assembly, Muhyiddin revealed that some quarters were collecting statutory declarations in a plot to oust him.

Poison-pen letters then circulated accusing Hamzah of fabricating claims that Muhyiddin had promised to hand over the leadership to him, and alleging that the Bersatu No 2 was trying to undermine the party president.

Hamzah sought to put these claims to rest before delegates at the assembly by labelling himself Muhyiddin’s “number one supporter”, but this did little to assuage tensions.

Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan was sacked in October 2025 while Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal was slapped with a suspension over the statutory declarations aimed at toppling Muhyiddin.

Calls for Muhyiddin to step down continued to grow with senior figures like Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah joining in, while pundits likened the situation to an all-out war in Bersatu. Saifuddin was sacked last month for his actions.

Purging of leaders

After relinquishing the PN chairmanship on Jan 1 and sparking a separate dispute with PAS, Muhyiddin faced mounting pressure to step aside for Hamzah to assume the Bersatu presidency.

But Hamzah also faced calls to resign, with multiple memorandums submitted to Muhyiddin accusing his deputy of undermining him and plotting to usurp the top post.

Finally, Hamzah was summoned by the Bersatu disciplinary board on Feb 6 over claims he attempted to sabotage the 2025 general assembly and undermine the party leadership.

A week later, he was sacked, along with 16 other leaders, including three MPs, two assemblymen, and 10 division leaders, for breaching the party’s constitution, code of ethics, and code of conduct.

But hours after news of his sacking broke, Hamzah appeared unfazed as he posted a picture of him having tea with PAS leaders like president Abdul Hadi Awang, vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, and secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.

Hamzah is also expected to hold a press conference at 2.30pm today joined by others aligned with him, but Bersatu has warned members against joining gatherings organised by those who were expelled yesterday.

With the PN chairmanship still disputed by Muhyiddin and PAS, and other Hamzah loyalists in Bersatu also expected to face disciplinary action, observers will be keenly watching Hamzah’s next step as he navigates this challenge in his political journey. - FMT