13 of 14 Kelantan Bersatu divisions back Muhyiddin

All but one of the 14 divisions of Kelantan Bersatu have expressed their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's leadership, the exception being the Machang division led by its division chief, Sazmi Miah.

In a joint statement today released by the 13 divisions, they also gave their backing to the party's two Kelantan MPs Mustapa Mohamed (Jeli) and Ikhmal Hisham Abd Aziz (Tanah Merah) both who were elected in May 2018 under BN/Umno but who since defected to Bersatu.

"Kelantan Bersatu as the state leadership wants to reiterate its support and stand firmly behind Muhyiddin as acting chairperson and president of Bersatu as well as the current prime minister of Malaysia, for him to lead the party and government.

"The country is currently facing the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, with its devastating economic consequences and we are in need of mature and experienced leadership and people who are prepared to address these issues for the rakyat," the media statement said.

The statement is being released amidst unrest within the party between Muhyiddin and the camp of founding chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad following the recent sacking of some of the party's top leaders.

On May 29, the memberships of Mahathir and four other leaders were nullified on grounds that they had joined the opposition bloc during the recent parliamentary session held on May 18.

Aside from Mahathir, the other four are Jerlun MP Mukhriz Mahathir, Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam), Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu) and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar).

Mahathir, who is also a former prime minister, however, insisted he is still the legal chairperson of the party.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Bersatu said Muhyiddin had good leadership criteria in leading the country in the face of the recent crisis.

"The most influential figure is Muhyiddin as the prime minister and president of Bersatu.

"His Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, though newly formed three months ago, has proven to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak in our country," the leaders claimed.

"At the same time, he and his ministers are actively involved in the recovery of the economy of the people and the country. Therefore, it is not appropriate to interfere with his position so that his focus, energy and time are fully used to solve the country's problems," the statement said.

Despite having two MPs due to the defections from Umno, Kelantan Bersatu fared very poorly in the state during the last general election which it contested as part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition. - Mkini