Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin must name his successor in the party promptly in order to quell unease among grassroots over the party’s future, says a political analyst.
Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said having a clear succession plan while taking firm action against Bersatu members who question his leadership would put a stop to the doubt among the grassroots on the party’s direction.
“Muhyiddin must promptly announce whether deputy president Hamzah Zainudin or secretary-general Azmin Ali will succeed him to stop the grassroots from being left in doubt.
“Failure to name his successor will lead to greater uncertainty among the grassroots, who already feel Bersatu has lost its direction,” he told FMT.
Awang Azman said Muhyiddin must also take disciplinary action on members who create problems in the party, regardless of the factions they belong to, as their actions would undermine the party.
Marzuki Mohamad, a former aide to Muhyiddin, described Bersatu as having a “chronic illness” after its general assembly last week saw rifts within the party come to the fore.
A ruckus erupted as Muhyiddin opened the assembly after he revealed in his address that some members had been collecting signatures to oust him. A small group of delegates then called for him to step down while the majority of attendees broke into chants of “Hidup Tan Sri” in his support.
Awang Azman agreed with Marzuki’s assessment and warned that this “chronic illness” could shorten Bersatu’s lifespan if not resolved.
“As party president and the most dominant figure in Bersatu, Muhyiddin must act quickly and have the courage to make firm decisions by strengthening party discipline.
“He must also listen to the grievances of grassroots members and establish a more transparent conflict resolution mechanism,” he said.
Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) also said Muhyiddin must have a succession plan as it would portray him as a generous and forward-thinking leader.
She added that Bersatu’s internal issues cannot be resolved by simply claiming it only involved one or two individuals in the party.
Syaza said these issues were clearly seen as being part of a wider discontent among the grassroots and so required greater attention from Muhyiddin.
