Muhyiddin should remain PN’s GE16 poster boy, says Wan Saiful

 

Wan Saiful Wan Jan says Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin is well aware that the party cannot continue to rely on him indefinitely.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Muhyiddin Yassin should remain Perikatan Nasional’s candidate for prime minister when the 16th general election (GE16) rolls around, after successfully retaining the Bersatu presidency, says Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

The Bersatu Supreme Council member dismissed the likelihood of a PAS leader leading PN’s charge at the next polls, despite the Islamist party’s dominance of the opposition coalition.

In an interview with FMT, Wan Saiful said Muhyiddin was PN’s best candidate for the top job in Putrajaya.

“It goes without saying,” he said. “There have been no discussions whatsoever on his potential replacement.”

In the 2022 general election, PAS won 43 seats in the Dewan Rakyat while Bersatu secured 31. However, six Bersatu MPs saw their party membership terminated earlier this year after declaring their support for Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.

PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has been touted as a potential PN candidate for the post of prime minister, with Muhyiddin himself acknowledging that the Terengganu menteri besar was prime minister material.

Muhyiddin, Malaysia’s eighth prime minister, retained the Bersatu president’s post uncontested earlier this month, with opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin taking over from Ahmad Faizal Azumu as his deputy.

At Bersatu’s general assembly last year, Muhyiddin had expressed a desire to stand down from the party’s top post but reversed that decision the following day after his wife intervened and told him not to disappoint party members.

Wan Saiful said that the announcement, and the “formula” he proposed in the lead-up to the recent party election, reflected an awareness that Bersatu could not be dependent on one figure forever.

Pagoh MP Muhyiddin’s formula, which was adopted by party delegates, saw Faizal making way for Hamzah and securing one of three vice-presidential posts, alongside incumbents Radzi Jidin and Ronald Kiandee, who were both re-elected.

“Despite putting forward the proposal, Muhyiddin did not place any restrictions on members contesting for any post at the election. Eventually, we saw competition (for the vice-presidency) but (based on the election outcome) his proposal was accepted (by Bersatu delegates).”

Wan Saiful also dismissed rumours of an impending transition of power in Bersatu, saying this was never discussed by the party leadership and need not be entertained.

“We have just held our party election and 100% of members want Muhyiddin to continue leading Bersatu, so there is no need for us to discuss who should take his place.

“To me, let him remain and lead us into GE16,” he said, expressing confidence in the party’s new top leadership lineup. - FMT