Open up contest for top Bersatu posts to strengthen party, say analysts

May 27, 2024

Open up contest for top Bersatu posts to strengthen party, say analysts

PETALING JAYA: Bersatu will gain from allowing open contests for the party’s top five positions, currently limited to two-term supreme council members, say political analysts.

Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said Bersatu would develop a broader talent pool to strengthen itself if prominent figures such as information chief Azmin Ali and secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin were to compete for top posts.

“Having Azmin, especially given his role in Bersatu’s success in Selangor, would probably be beneficial for the party,” she told FMT.

Azmin, as the Selangor Perikatan Nasional chief, led the coalition to make major inroads at last year’s state elections in Selangor, securing 22 seats, all in Malay-majority constituencies, up from five seats previously.

Syaza said Azmin would be a great addition to the party leadership given his experience as a former economic affairs minister and Selangor menteri besar.

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“He is also quite liked by the people, as shown by his ability to win a tough seat like Hulu Kelang.”

Azmin defeated Pakatan Harapan’s Juwairiya Zulkifli by 1,617 votes in the Hulu Kelang seat at the state elections recently. The seat, with a Malay majority electorate, had been held by PH for two consecutive terms.

Syaza added that having new leaders with stronger credentials to fill top party positions could help Bersatu demand a more equal footing in PN.

On Wednesday, Bersatu grassroot members called for flexibility in the nominations for the party’s top five positions. They expressed concern about the party’s future after its poor performance in several state polls and its recent defeat in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election.

Bersatu’s constitution states that only members who have been a supreme council member or division chief for two full terms are eligible to contest the top five positions.

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Azmin joined Bersatu in August 2020 and was elected to the supreme council the following month, while Hamzah joined in 2019 and was made secretary-general in 2020. Neither is currently eligible to stand for a top-five position.

Political analyst James Chin of University of Tasmania said the call by grassroot members had shown that members want stronger figures such as Hamzah and Azmin to lead the party.

“It is obvious that the grassroots in Bersatu are unhappy with the current leadership,” he said.

Chin said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s about-turn after offering to resign had “left a bitter taste in the members’ mouths”.

Muhyiddin announced at the party congress last year that he would bow out, only to retract his statement a day later, saying he had changed his mind after speaking to his wife.

Chin said grassroots members want Bersatu to do more because they think the party is playing second fiddle to PAS in the PN alliance.

“The grassroots want the top leadership to step up because the number one enemy of Bersatu is actually Umno. If Umno is gaining ground, it’s Bersatu that loses, not PAS,” he said.