Muhyiddin heads to Johor amid Bersatu defections

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be spending time in his home state of Johor this weekend amid defections from his party Bersatu.

At least one Bersatu division in Johor has already quit the party to side with Muhyiddin's rival, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and more are expected to follow suit.

According to his schedule released by his office, Muhyiddin will be spending his Saturday in Johor Baru, where he will be meeting civil servants, attending a National Youth Day celebration and be going on a walkabout.

Meanwhile, a circular, purportedly from Umno, states that the Bersatu president will be meeting with Perikatan Nasional leaders tomorrow night. The circular is being shared on social media. Malaysiakini is trying to determine if it’s authentic.

Muhyiddin will then head to Desaru on Sunday to attend a development meeting.

On Tuesday, the Kota Tinggi Bersatu division collapsed after its central committee, together with eight branches, quit the party to side with Mahathir.

Mahathir's new party Pejuang is being set up to fight against Bersatu, Umno, and PAS. It will not be aligned to either Pakatan Harapan or Perikatan Nasional.

Sri Gading MP Shahruddin Salleh, a former Muhyiddin strongman, believed that up to 70 percent of Johor Bersatu grassroots members would be defecting.

A senior Johor Bersatu assemblyperson also told Malaysiakini that interest among the party's grassroots to join Mahathir's party was "quite evident".

Previously, during the height of the Sheraton Move crisis, 19 out of 26 Johor Bersatu divisions had declared their support for Mahathir after Muhyiddin had reportedly greenlit a coup in the state.

It is not clear if these allegiances remain the same as Mahathir camp's state leader then, Johor Bersatu chief Mazlan Bujang, is now part of the PN state government.

Mazlan and the other Bersatu assemblypersons have publicly dismissed any possibility that they themselves would defect or that there would be a revolt in the Johor party chapter. - Mkini