Muhyiddin denies Azmin the cause of Bersatu strife

2026-03-05 - 03:04

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said Azmin Ali could have become his deputy if he truly favoured the former PKR man. PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has denied that Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali is the cause of the turmoil that has erupted in the party. The Bersatu president said Azmin had extensive political experience but was not particularly favoured by him after entering Bersatu, Sinar Harian reported. Muhyiddin said he chose to appoint the former PKR deputy president as Bersatu secretary-general simply to strengthen the party, adding that he had been carrying out his duties professionally and “as normal”. He said if he favoured Azmin, he would not have paved the way for Hamzah Zainudin to be elected Bersatu deputy president unopposed during the party elections in 2024. “If I truly favoured him, I could have elevated Azmin (to the deputy president’s post), but I didn’t do that. “So I don’t think there’s any question of me favouring him. It may be the perception but that’s not the reality... I treat everyone fairly,” he said. Muhyiddin added that former Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu magnanimously made way for Hamzah to take over the position despite being one of the party’s co-founders. Faizal, a former Perak menteri besar, had agreed not to defend the Bersatu deputy presidency in 2024 to allow Hamzah to be elected to