BERSATU is still seen to be in turmoil even though the opposition party has completed holding elections, with the issue of leadership succession still unresolved.
A key problem is the apparent rivalry between factions supporting Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and those supporting secretary-general Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
It must be remembered that Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced a succession plan for the party at its convention in Selayang in July 2024.
Muhyiddin had named Hamzah as the party’s number two leader, namely as the deputy president, who would succeed him. Meanwhile, Azmin was named as secretary-general, whose position is ninth in the party hierarchy, after taking into account the vice-presidents and wing chiefs.
However, while Azmin is seen to be organising moves to strengthen his position, Hamzah appears to have more support from the Bersatu grassroots. This is evident from the fact that Azmin did not win any position in the last Bersatu election, and what he holds is by appointment.
Pundits have analysed that Azmin does not have strong support within Bersatu. His image is that of one who plays factional politics, is difficult to approach, and only helps those aligned with him.
Perhaps Azmin realises the negative perceptions of him, which is why he relies on his only lifeline – the support of party president Muhyiddin.
No wonder that every move he makes is justified by saying that he acts “on the president’s orders”.
And wherever Muhyiddin goes, Azmin is present, as if positioning himself to appear as a trusted confidant of the former prime minister.
However, many also know that Muhyiddin places higher trust in three individuals who have worked with him for a longer time. This group of advisors is often referred to as “Muhyiddin’s entourage” and they are his real inner circle.
This team is led by Datuk Dr Marzuki Mohamad, who was Muhyiddin’s private secretary when the latter was prime minister. Marzuki is now a senior lecturer at the International Islamic University, and an intellectual who is competent in administration.
Another personality is Datuk Seri Nardin Awang, who manages Muhyiddin’s political affairs. An efficient officer, he is liked by Bersatu leaders and has extensive contacts from various parties as a result of his long-time involvement in politics.
Although Nardin does not hold an official position in the Bersatu, he is now grooming his son as a leader of Selangor Bersatu Youth, under Azmin.
Muhyiddin’s media affairs are managed by Datuk Dr Ainon Mohamad, who is well-known to seasoned journalists and news editors, who would have different views about her.
Some say that she has a firm hand in carrying out her duties and has successfully built an image of Muhyiddin as a national leader.
But another view is that this firm hand may have also cast Muhyiddin in an unfriendly light and made him appear unapproachable to the media, as well as unpopular due to a perceived “roughness” in approach.
What is interesting, however, is that of late, Azmin’s own self-interest and that of these three people in Muhyiddin’s inner circle, seem to be aligning.
It appears that they do not want the succession plan Muhyiddin had announced in July 2024.
The plan, as mentioned earlier, and which gave Hamzah the deputy president post uncontested, comes with the understanding that he is to replace Muhyiddin as Bersatu’s head. This paves the way for Muhyiddin to retire before the 16th general election, given that he himself has expressed his wish to retire, including at Bersatu’s annual general meeting in 2023.
However, there have been recent efforts to persuade Muhyiddin to cancel his retirement wish. It is difficult to ascertain who is behind this effort, but what is certain is that those who stand to benefit the most are Azmin and Muhyiddin’s inner circle.
If Muhyiddin does not retire, Azmin can continue to cling to his lifeline and Muhyiddin’s officers also have secured their own future.
It is not impossible that they will also persuade Muhyiddin to become a candidate for Prime Minister again, even though there are already voices within Perikatan Nasional who oppose this idea.
However, the impact of these machinations on Muhyiddin’s image, if he strays from his own transition plan, would be negative. He would be seen has having abandoned his own promise because of the influence of those around him.
He would be seen as out of touch with the aspirations of of Malaysia’s growing number of younger voters, a demographic that would be skeptical of any party that still wants a nearly 80-year-old president to lead it into the next election. – March 18, 2024
Abdullah Sani is a political observer and Scoop reader