'Bersatu paid the price of Johor, Kedah and Perak for its ambitions'

Bersatu may have thought itself wise when initiating the Sheraton Move that ousted Pakatan Harapan governments in several states but the party is now finding itself in a worse position, said Malacca Amanah chief Adly Zahari.

Adly (above), who was himself ousted as the Malacca chief minister after the move, pointed out that Umno has been the biggest beneficiary.

The Sheraton Move saw Bersatu quitting Harapan to form its own coalition with Umno, MCA, MIC, PBRS, PAS, GPS, PBS and STAR under the banner of Perikatan Nasional.

Following that, Harapan lost the states of Johor, Kedah, Perak and Malacca, where the first three were helmed by Bersatu.

Adly said even though Bersatu formed a new coalition, it had to cede the states of Johor and Kedah to Umno and PAS respectively and is now losing Perak after Umno initiated an internal coup.

"The small party thought itself strong when in reality, it is weak. They lost control of Johor, Kedah and now Perak.

"All that is left is Sabah and that is also a matter of time. All will be decided by Umno," Adly said in a statement.

Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu (photo) was on Friday ousted as the Perak menteri besar after Umno initiated a confidence vote against him, even though they were part of the same government.

A total of 24 out of 25 Umno assemblypersons joined 24 opposition Harapan representatives to vote against Faizal. Only 10 assemblypersons supported Faizal.

Following Umno's action against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Bersatu deputy, Adly said Umno can also determine the former's fate at the federal level.

"Power lies with the prime minister but his support is also dependant on Umno.

"In the end, Muhyiddin will have to bow to Umno and watch his deputy ousted and states led by Bersatu wrested away one by one," he added.

Adly said this was the outcome when one betrays the people's mandate.

Bersatu, under Harapan, won the 2018 general election, ending BN's 61 years in power.

In February, it broke away from the coalition to form a new grouping but face the problem of a fragile majority. - Mkini