Tun Faisal shoots down Hamzah’s claim on Zahid talks

2026-03-17 - 14:11

Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said there were several party meetings where Hamzah Zainudin could have sought Bersatu’s mandate or disclosed the planned meeting in Bangkok but he did not. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: A Bersatu leader has rejected Hamzah Zainudin’s claim that his meeting with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was carried out under a mandate from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying the Larut MP failed to inform the party about the matter despite ample opportunities to do so. Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said Bersatu’s political bureau, Supreme Council, and president Muhyiddin Yassin were never informed of such a mandate. “No minutes regarding the ‘big umbrella’ or (Mahathir’s) secretariat committee were ever submitted to the political bureau or Supreme Council to substantiate the claim,” he said in a statement. Tun Faisal also said the meeting involving Hamzah and Zahid took place when the Umno president was in Bangkok, Thailand, from Dec 10-12, 2025. He said there were several meetings where Hamzah could have sought Bersatu’s mandate or disclosed the planned meeting in Bangkok but he did not do so. Tun Faisal listed several meetings where Hamzah could have brought up the matter, namely a Perikatan Nasional Supreme Council meeting on Dec 9 as well as a Bersatu political bureau meeting and a party state leadership council meeting on Dec 10. He also said Bersatu’s political bureau and Supreme Council met again on Jan 8 and Jan 12, respectively, yet Hamzah chose to remain silent about what transpired in Bangkok. “This raises a key question – why was the meeting between Hamzah and several others with Zahid in Bangkok kept under wraps, if it was allegedly an official engagement involving the chief whip and opposition leader? “If it was truly official, why was there no media coverage or posting on social media? Why the silence?” Tun Faisal asked. Earlier today, Hamzah claimed his efforts to unite Malays, including his meeting with Zahid, were carried out under a mandate from Mahathir as part of the former prime minister’s “big umbrella” initiative. Muhyiddin had accused Hamzah, who was sacked from the party on Feb 13, of engaging in secret negotiations with Zahid in Bangkok to form a new political configuration that would allow Hamzah to be appointed deputy prime minister while another leader would hold the top post. Muhyiddin also accused Hamzah of being behind moves to destabilise and divide Bersatu, saying this was the main reason why the opposition leader was expelled. A Trojan horse? Tun Faisal pointed out that when Zahid announced his intention to form a new grand coalition to unite all Malay-Muslim parties in January, the Umno president assured Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he had no agenda to establish a backdoor government. “This leads to a larger question – was Hamzah overly ambitious or naive enough to fall for Zahid’s overtures and promises, effectively becoming a tool or ‘Trojan horse’ to undermine unity within Bersatu and PN? “Or had Hamzah and Zahid already been working in tandem to advance Zahid’s grand coalition agenda, which ultimately lends support to Anwar and the government?” Tun Faisal asked.