KUALA LUMPUR: A leadership vacuum has opened within Perikatan Nasional following Muhyiddin Yassin’s upcoming resignation as its chairperson, leaving Malaysia’s opposition coalition to grapple with the question of his successor.
Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) promptly signalled its readiness to lead the coalition, with party leaders saying that they will nominate a candidate to replace Muhyiddin.
However, political observers question whether any potential replacement from PAS possesses the necessary “bridge-building” credentials to lead the bloc into the country’s 16th general election (GE16) that must be held by February 2028.
The Islamist party, while popular in the Malay heartlands, has often been criticised for failing to appeal to the non-Malay population or address non-Muslim fears of an Islamic theocracy, in part due to its leaders’ comments on race and religion.
Muhyiddin, who was Malaysia’s eighth prime minister and held office from March 2020 to August 2021, said on Tuesday (Dec 30) that he will resign as PN chairman, effective Jan 1.
Hours later, former international trade and industry minister Mohamed Azmin Ali also announced his resignation as the coalition’s secretary-general as well as from his post as the chairman of the Selangor State PN Liaison Committee.
This was followed by the resignation of several other state leaders from Bersatu such as Faizal Azumu as Perak PN chairman, Sahruddin Jamal as Johor PN chairman and Hanifah Abu Baker as Negeri Sembilan PN chairman.
Political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya (UM) told CNA that Muhyiddin’s exit raised critical questions over who will inherit a position that serves as the coalition’s de facto prime minister candidate for GE16.
Awang Azman questioned who would be acceptable to both parties, especially as some PAS leaders have said that the party should take the position.
“In a multi-racial society like Malaysia, the optics of a PAS prime minister (candidate) would not help the coalition gain more votes in constituencies where there are many non-Malay voters,” said Awang Azman.
“There is a very big question mark now. This is a situation that can spark a long conflict and result in the collapse of PN.”
PN was formed in February 2020 and is currently made up of four component parties: Bersatu, PAS, Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party. The latter two are largely considered to be minor players in the coalition.
Muhyiddin, 78, is the president of Bersatu while Azmin is its party secretary-general.
Bersatu supreme council member Saifuddin Abdullah, who has been critical of Muhyiddin, however told CNA that he did not see any issue with PAS taking over the chairman position given its role in PN.
“PAS heads PN in many states, including Pahang where I come from. Current Bersatu MPs and assemblymen from Kelantan and Terengganu ran for the last elections under the PAS logo. So? PAS has more MPs than Bersatu,” he said when asked if a PN chairperson would be acceptable to him.
Muhyiddin’s resignation follows a political crisis in the northeastern state of Perlis, whose state assembly is controlled by PN.
The upheaval saw PAS’ Sanglang assemblyman Mohd Shukri Ramli resigning as chief minister and Bersatu’s Kuala Perlis assemblyman Abu Bakar Hamzah replacing him in the post.
Shukri’s resignation came after eight statutory declarations were signed by state assemblymen – three from PAS and five from Bersatu – retracting their support for him.
The three PAS assemblymen have since been sacked by the Islamist party.
There are 15 seats in Perlis’ state assembly. PAS holds six of the remaining seats, Bersatu holds five, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) holds one.
Some PAS members have criticised Bersatu’s move against Mohd Shukri as a “backstabbing” betrayal, and gone as far as to call on the party’s leadership to sever all ties with Bersatu at every level.
Perlis ruler Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail on Sunday called on all parties to end speculation and allegations “for the good of the state”.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-opposition-pact-pn-new-chair-who-election-5769931
