Despite the internal turmoil which has led to calls for a change of leadership, Bersatu will not suffer the same fate as Umno splinter party Semangat 46 which ended up being dissolved, say analysts.
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Bersatu was in a different situation from Semangat 46 which eventually saw most of its leaders and members returning to Umno.
“Semangat 46 returned to Umno after failing to mount much of a challenge in two general elections. Bersatu, on the other hand, is still holding on despite its internal issues.
“Bersatu could be at risk of collapsing if it is soundly defeated in the next general election, or if its relationship with PAS is broken, similar to what happened between Semangat 46 and PAS then,” he told FMT.
Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan agreed, saying that internal clashes between camps aligned with party president Muhyiddin Yassin and his deputy, Hamzah Zainudin, were expected to alleviate through concessions.
“Muhyiddin and Hamzah still need Bersatu as well as each other. The party can still be saved through compromise,” he said.
Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi had mockingly said that he hoped Bersatu’s internal crisis would end with its collapse, thus allowing former Umno members to return to the Barisan Nasional lynchpin as in the case of Semangat 46.
Semangat 46 was formed by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in 1988 after he lost the race for the Umno presidency to Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
After failing to unseat Umno from power in the 1990 and 1995 general elections, the party was dissolved and its leaders and members returned to Umno.
Azmi said Puad’s “invitation” for Bersatu members to rejoin Umno was unlikely to be welcomed by the former’s grassroots, as the two parties remained sworn enemies at this juncture.
Mazlan meanwhile said nothing was impossible in politics since leaders who burned their bridges with Umno had still returned to the party, such as Tengku Razaleigh and Rais Yatim. However, he believed such a situation was not on the cards for Bersatu.
Bersatu has faced escalating tensions following the sacking and suspension of two prominent MPs, amid an apparent leadership feud between Muhyiddin and Hamzah.
Hamzah, the opposition leader, was recently summoned by the Bersatu disciplinary board but reportedly did not turn up.
Sacked Supreme Council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan has accused several figures close to Muhyiddin of straining ties among the party’s top leaders, singling out Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali and information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz.
Muhyiddin meanwhile has faced calls to step down as Bersatu president, including from Supreme Council member and Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah, who was once seen as an ally of Azmin.
