Playing intermediary between BN, PN will be tough for Hamzah, says analyst

2026-03-19 - 00:40

Former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin said he was prepared to be a ‘bridge’ between two major coalitions, which he did not name. PETALING JAYA: While former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin is capable of becoming an effective intermediary between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional, it would not be an easy task, an analyst said. Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Hamzah has the ability to pull the strings and get the two coalitions to forge a pact, given his political background. However, BN has its own direction and strategy which would make realising such an alliance difficult. “But while it is difficult, it is not impossible,” Mazlan told FMT. Hamzah was previously with Umno before joining Bersatu in 2019, but he was sacked by Bersatu on Feb 13 amid a leadership tussle between him and party president Muhyiddin Yassin On Tuesday, he expressed confidence that he can be a bridge between “two major political coalitions” to ensure political stability and progress. He said Malaysia’s political landscape now required a person who could close the gaps between different political groups to form a larger, more stable team. While he did not name any specific coalition, his comments were believed to refer to PN and BN. Hamzah said he could engage with leaders such as Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, citing good personal relations with them. Mazlan pointed out that PAS – Bersatu’s PN ally – had acknowledged Hamzah’s capabilities by agreeing to his appointment as the opposition leader despite being a party secretary-general at the time. Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said Hamzah’s sacking from Bersatu would not put him in a weak spot, especially when it came to strategising. In fact, he said, Hamzah can be considered the “winner” in his battle with Muhyiddin after he seemingly won the support of the majority of Bersatu’s MPs. Still, Tawfik felt that Hamzah would make for an “odd” intermediary between PN and BN. “He triggered an uproar in Umno when he got six others to defect to Bersatu, and recently, he was at the centre of Bersatu’s turmoil,” he said. But he gave Hamzah credit for his ability to woo MPs to be part of his “new team” and his ability to manage funds. “Such a talent would help his new party in terms of operations and looking out for the grassroots,” he said.