INTERVIEW | Larut MP Hamzah Zainudin has been dropped from Bersatu, removed as its deputy president, and now faces the possibility of losing his position as opposition leader in the Dewan Rakyat.
Yet, Hamzah instead reinforced his narrative as a “team player” who is inseparable from his supporters, while subtly criticising Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.
Hamzah also likened his position as a party-less politician to a “car that has yet to be registered”.
“If I said earlier that I am at a crossroads, it is about the car I am in. That means I already have a car, but it has not yet been registered under an owner.
“I have to register myself if I want to be with any of the groups that exist in this country,” he said in an interview with selected media at his office in Jalan Langgak Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday.
Muhyiddin’s ‘lesson’ backfired
On Feb 13, Bersatu’s disciplinary board sacked Hamzah as its deputy president and expelled him from the party with immediate effect.
The dismissal letter stated that Hamzah was removed for allegedly violating Clause 9.1.4 of the party constitution.
The decision came at the height of an internal power struggle between Muhyiddin and Hamzah.
In explaining his expulsion, Hamzah today openly linked it to Muhyiddin, claiming that the latter may have intended the move to “teach him a lesson”, but ended up with the opposite result.
“Perhaps my expulsion was something that people would say was meant to ‘teach Larut a lesson’, but he was mistaken - it turns out it’s not easy to teach Larut a lesson. And it ended up backfiring on him - ‘now it’s your turn to learn a lesson’,” he said.
Sacked over ‘big umbrella’
Hamzah also revealed what he described as the real reason behind his expulsion - his efforts to unite Malay leaders under the “Big Umbrella” concept at the instruction of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said his meeting with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Bangkok last December became an offence that led to his removal.
“In the Big Umbrella meeting chaired by Mahathir, he asked me to chair a committee to bring all Malay leaders together under one group.
“So, is it wrong for me to meet the Umno president? But I was expelled for meeting the Umno president,” he said.
“That means the mentality of that person (Muhyiddin) is that the Big Umbrella can only be selective. It cannot be like that.
“If you want to be an umbrella but choose who to cover, then you cannot be an umbrella. It means you are not sincere. Sincerity comes when you are an umbrella - whoever needs shelter, you must provide it. That is the Big Umbrella concept. My concept is sincerity,” he said.
On June 4 last year, Mahathir announced a Malay secretariat committee to unite Malays under one big umbrella.
The two-time former prime minister said the committee was also intended to enable Malays to regain control of the government.
“We have agreed that we will emphasise Malay issues, not party issues, because Malay issues involve all Malays,” said the centenarian.
Mahathir announced the Big Umbrella concept after meeting several political leaders.
Among them were Muhyiddin, Hamzah, and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
Uncertainty over opposition leader post
Responding to another question on the opposition leader post, Hamzah said only the majority of opposition MPs could determine his position.
“He (Muhyiddin) can say he will vacate it, but the majority will decide.
“It seems there are feelings involved, perhaps disappointment,” he said.
Hamzah also said he is uncertain about PAS’ stance regarding the opposition leader position.
Asked whether PAS would continue to support him as opposition leader, he said: “I don’t know whether PAS will support me or not […] If you look at the statement by PN chairperson (Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar), he said PAS will take over.
“If PAS takes over, does that mean deciding who becomes opposition leader, or taking over the opposition leader post itself? That remains unclear.
“It will be resolved when the PN chairperson meets with the opposition leader, who is still the MP for Larut,” he said.
Bersatu is increasingly seen as being sidelined within PN following the recent announcement that the Dewan Rakyat opposition leader post is expected to be held by a PAS leader.
Previously, Samsuri, who is also the Terengganu menteri besar, said PN’s top leadership had decided that the opposition leader position would be held by a PAS MP, with the name to be announced before the end of March. - Mkini
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