Time for Bersatu to stay out of elections, says Hamzah

 Wawasan president says his former party is no longer relevant in the current political landscape.

Wawasan president Hamzah Zainudin mocked his former party, Bersatu, after 23 of its 24 candidates lost their deposits yesterday.

SEREMBAN:

Wawasan president Hamzah Zainudin has mocked Bersatu over its wipeout in the Negeri Sembilan state election, saying his former party should now stay out of running in elections.

Citing the loss of deposits for 23 of Bersatu’s 24 candidates, Hamzah said this outcome showed that the Muhyiddin Yassin-led party was no longer relevant in the current political landscape.

“That’s enough. Don’t contest anymore if your candidates are only going to end up losing their deposits.

“To me, we don’t have to talk about them anymore,” he said at a press conference late last night.

Hamzah was sacked from Bersatu in February at the height of a leadership tussle with Muhyiddin, who has been party president since its founding in 2016. Hamzah went on to take over Parti Cinta Malaysia and rebrand it as Wawasan.

The Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional pact won 25 seats in the Negeri Sembilan polls, with BN securing 18 and PN taking seven, while Pakatan Harapan won 11.

Wawasan and Bersatu are both PN components, though Bersatu fielded 24 candidates under its own banner in protest against the coalition’s decision to work with BN.

Last night marked Bersatu’s third consecutive election wipeout, after Sabah in November and Johor last month.

With the BN-PN pact to continue in the next Melaka state election, which is expected before the year ends, Hamzah believed the alliance can go on beyond that, saying Wawasan serves as a key bridge between the two coalitions. - FMT