Bersatu at a crossroads

 A political analyst says the party may yet survive if there is a change in the top leadership, but an academic believes it is already too late.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (centre) and secretary-general Azmin Ali (left) have dismissed calls for it to be dissolved after the sacking of then deputy president Hamzah Zainudin (right) led to mass defection from the party.

PETALING JAYA:

Bersatu must accept that it has weaknesses and take steps to address them to remain relevant in the Malaysian political landscape. Among others, this entails a leadership transition.

But views on whether this will bring the party back from the brink remain divided. A political analyst says this can give the party a new lease of life but an academic believes the time has passed.

Global Asia Consulting analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said there is no need to dissolve the party, but it has to admit that dignity alone will not ensure its survival.

He was referring to Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali’s claims that the party “remains dignified” when dismissing calls for its dissolution recently.

“The factors that will determine the party’s survival is its ability to adapt to the shifting political landscape, build a strong institution, and renew its leadership,” Zaharuddin told FMT.

“The question is, does Bersatu still have the boldness to admit to its own weaknesses, before voters make that decision for them,” he added.

He said Bersatu’s wipeout in the July 11 Johor polls was proof that just having prominent leaders in its ranks could not make up for its weak organisational structure and election machinery.

These two factors, he added, are crucial for a political party’s success.

He said another issue is that Bersatu remains dominated by its founding members, such as party president Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-presidents Ahmad Faizal Azumu and Radzi Jidin.

“An organisation that fails to renew its leadership will lose the ability to adapt to change in the political environment. A party that’s overly dependent on one leader will eventually deteriorate once that leader is on the decline.”

Zaharuddin added that Bersatu’s identity has become unclear, pointing out that the party was formed as an alternative to Umno amid the 1MDB scandal.

“The party needs the courage to conduct a massive ‘surgery’ on itself. There needs to be an openly planned leadership transition, and young leaders must be given room. Its machinery needs to be rebuilt, and there must be clarity in its identity so that it can step out of Umno and PAS’s shadow.

“In politics, parties often die when they remain in denial about their weaknesses. Bersatu still has the opportunity to change that, but that opportunity will not be around forever.

“Political history shows that voters have never dissolved a party. They just stop voting for them,” Zaharuddin added.

An Umno veteran had called for Bersatu to be dissolved and for its members to rejoin Umno, but Azmin and Muhyiddin rebuffed this, with the former saying Bersatu remains a dignified party with a strong track record.

Bersatu has seen a wave of defections while also imposing sanctions on various leaders following the sacking of its then deputy president, Hamzah Zainudin, in February. Hamzah now leads Parti Wawasan Negara.

Among the leaders who have been suspended are vice-president Ronald Kiandee and Wanita chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin. Thirteen of Bersatu’s remaining 19 MPs have also publicly aligned themselves with Hamzah.

Bersatu was dealt another blow early last month when PAS terminated its political cooperation with the party. While both parties remain in PN, Bersatu decided to contest under its own logo in the Negeri Sembilan polls after PAS led the coalition into a pact with Barisan Nasional.

Universiti Malaya’s Tawfik Yaakub, who holds a contrarian view, said it is “far too late” for Bersatu to be saved as the mass defection of leaders to Wawasan has diminished its relevance and competitiveness.

He said Bersatu’s “track record” and “dignity” meant little without actual grassroots support and election wins, and that it looks set to become just another small party like Berjasa and Putra.

“It’s too late to admit its weaknesses because the leaders and members who were pushing for change have all packed their bags and left. These grassroots members, senior leaders and the majority of Bersatu MPs are headed for Wawasan.”

Tawfik predicted that Bersatu would see another wipeout in the Negeri Sembilan polls, like in Sabah last November and Johor earlier this month. - FMT