Bersatu lacks ‘original’ leaders, Muhyiddin tough to replace, says analyst

Muhyiddin Yassin says he is prepared to retire from politics after the next general election.

PETALING JAYA: Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional will face a gloomy future if Muhyiddin Yassin is no longer at the helm of the party and coalition, says a political analyst.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Bersatu mostly comprised “unoriginal” leaders, though they were perceived as having extensive experience in the political arena.

“If you were to exclude these ‘outsiders’, there aren’t many original Bersatu leaders, except for (deputy president) Ahmad Faizal Azumu. That’s Bersatu’s problem right now.

“If Muhyiddin were to retire, it will be difficult to look for his replacement. Faizal’s credibility has also been often questioned by others, which only makes it harder for Bersatu,” he told FMT.

-ADVERTISEMENT-

Ads by 

Azmi Hassan.

Faizal, the former Perak menteri besar, is currently the youth and sports minister in Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Cabinet.

Bersatu’s “unoriginal” leaders that Azmi cited include Hamzah Zainudin and Mustapa Mohamed, who were previously in Umno, and Azmin Ali, who defected from PKR in 2020.

On Saturday, Muhyiddin said he was prepared to retire from politics after the next general election (GE15), though he would contest in GE15 if that was what the grassroots wanted.

However, the former prime minister said GE15 would likely be the last time he will be standing in an election.

Azmi said Bersatu needed a breath of fresh air and to get away from Muhyiddin’s shadow after the PN lynchpin’s defeats in the Melaka and Johor state elections.

He said this was not about PN coming up with a new logo, but for its leadership to be changed in order to attract voters’ confidence.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan seemed the most qualified individual to take over the party should Muhyiddin choose to step down.

With other parties starting to put their own young leaders at the fore, he said, Bersatu could not afford to be left out, especially with young voters set to cast their ballots in GE15.

“For me, the most eligible individual when it comes to this is Wan Saiful, whose ideas reflect a maturity in understanding the realities of Malaysian politics.

“With political parties starting their transition to the generation born after the 1970s, such as Rafizi Ramli (PKR), Loke Siew Fook (DAP) and Khairy Jamaluddin (Umno), Bersatu cannot be left out in pushing up leaders who are in their 40s, who young voters will feel more connected with,” he said. - FMT