Bersatu has denied claims of internal conflict in its Perak chapter following a request by state chief Ahmad Faizal Azumu to change the seating arrangement of the party’s assemblymen in the state assembly.
Deputy president Hamzah Zainudin said such changes are routine and based on current party roles.
“This is a normal process. It happens in all parties, not just Bersatu,” he said during a campaign event in Kampung Dato Kamaruddin for the upcoming Ayer Kuning by-election.
According to a recent FMT report, several assemblymen and division leaders were unhappy that Faizal had requested Sungai Manik assemblyman Zainol Fadzi Paharudin to swap seats with Changkat Jong assemblyman Nadziruddin Bandi, without consulting them.
Faizal explained that the request was made because Nadziruddin had recently been appointed Perak Bersatu secretary, replacing Zainol.
However, some party members suspect the move is aimed at positioning Nadziruddin to take over as acting opposition leader, following the six-month suspension of PAS‘s Razman Zakaria.
Hamzah dismissed any suggestion of internal conflict.
“I’ve spoken to Faizal, and we’ve resolved it. Zainol and I were campaigning together yesterday,” he said.
He also rejected claims by a political analyst that the issue pointed to divisions within the party.
Political analyst Tawfiq Yaakub, from Universiti Malaya, had suggested Faizal’s leadership was being questioned following reports that Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had asked Hamzah to step in and manage the situation.
Tawfiq compared the tensions in Perak to a previous incident in Negeri Sembilan, where Faizal, as state Perikatan Nasional chairman, was removed after less than a year under pressure from PAS.
“We’re seeing similar unrest among assemblymen in Perak. Faizal’s credibility is being questioned, prompting Hamzah’s involvement,” Tawfiq told FMT.
