BERSATU Supreme Council members Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Datuk Seri Azmin Ali are anticipated to contest for the deputy president position in the upcoming party elections set for October.
According to a well-placed source who spoke on condition of anonymity, there is significant support from the party’s grassroots for Hamzah, the current Bersatu secretary-general, to become the deputy president.
Concurrently, there is a strong push for Azmin to secure one of the two vice-president slots.
The source further indicated that in the event Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin decides to step down, Hamzah would likely succeed him, with Azmin moving into the deputy president role.
Moreover, the source noted that a Hamzah-Azmin leadership duo would greatly benefit the party, given their substantial followings and influence.
“With these two warlords working together, Bersatu will be stronger as both of them have very big followings,” news portal Free Malaysia Today quoted the source as saying.
Currently, the deputy president’s position is held by Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu. However, the source mentioned that there is a general consensus among party members for Hamzah, Azmin and Faizal to all vie for top posts.
“But to prevent schisms and conflict, the Supreme Council agreed to give Muhyiddin the mandate to call these three to arrive at a compromise.”
Last week, the Bersatu Supreme Council unanimously decided that Muhyiddin would continue as president post-elections. Hamzah had previously stated on April 5 that he would not seek a higher position without Muhyiddin’s approval.
Regarding Faizal’s standing, the source pointed out that his grassroots support has waned due to several missteps including his defeat in Tambun during the last general election.
“This includes losing Tambun in the last general election, his less-than-stellar performance as youth and sports minister, and his poor leadership when he was in charge of Negeri Sembilan Bersatu,” the source added.
Faizal lost the Tambun parliamentary seat to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the last nationwide polls and was removed as Negeri Sembilan Bersatu chief earlier this year. The source further added that Faizal had made several controversial statements, though specifics were not provided.
Despite these setbacks, Faizal remains an important figure in Bersatu.
“He has done a lot of work for the party and his contributions must be rewarded, but many are still unsure about where to place him.
“For now, Muhyiddin, Hamzah and Azmin are the best people to lead the party.” – June 14, 2024
