Hamzah remained influential despite his expulsion, claiming many MPs and division chiefs were still aligned with the former Bersatu deputy president.
PETALING JAYA: Bersatu’s purge of 22 members this year, including figures aligned with Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, may leave Pas with the upper hand in Perikatan Nasional (PN) rather than drive Malay voters back to Umno, analysts said.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities director Assoc Prof Dr Mazlan Ali said the expulsions appeared to be part of an internal “cleansing” exercise as Bersatu struggled with factional discord.
He said Hamzah remained influential despite his expulsion, claiming many MPs and division chiefs were still aligned with the former Bersatu deputy president.
“These expulsions and removals can weaken Bersatu because Hamzah himself is capable of driving a movement called ‘Reset’, which is actively gathering support.
“There is a possibility that ‘Reset’ could be accepted as one of the component parties in PN. If that happens, Bersatu will lose its position as the main party in PN,” he told theSun.
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Mazlan said Pas appeared more comfortable with Hamzah’s group than with current Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s camp, adding that the rift could give the Islamist party greater leverage in PN’s future seat negotiations.
He said this could already be seen in Malacca, where state PAS commissioner Zulkifli Ismail reportedly said on April 28 that the party was eyeing 16 of the 28 seats in the next state election, double the eight it contested under PN in 2021.
“Hamzah Zainudin does not have many options. His group will have to support Pas’ decisions because his political survival also depends on Pas.
“He is facing Muhyiddin, so to gain enough support to overcome Muhyiddin Yassin, Hamzah needs strong support from Pas.”
International Islamic University Malaysia political analyst Dr Syaza Shukri said Bersatu’s electoral strength has been closely tied to the PN platform, where much of its support came from voters already inclined towards Pas.
“I do not think these voters will shift to Umno. Bersatu won on the PN ticket and we know many of of them are Pas voters.
“With Bersatu becoming increasingly chaotic, Pas may have the upper hand to demand additional seats. But I do not see Pas being very aggressive. Still, without a doubt, PN is becoming more Pas-centred.”
Syaza said Umno may gain from the return of some former Bersatu figures, but that would not necessarily translate into a wider voter swing.
Universiti Malaya Department of Political Science senior lecturer Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said Pas appeared better positioned than Umno to benefit from Bersatu’s instability due to its stronger organisation and Malay-Muslim grassroots machinery.
He said while Umno was reopening its doors to former members and political figures through the Gagasan Rumah Bangsa initiative, Pas remained the more stable component within PN.
“Umno may only gain limited and short-term benefit through the return of several former Bersatu leaders or members.
“The real challenge for Umno remains restoring the confidence of Malay voters who shifted to PN after the 15th GE.”
Bersatu’s expulsion of 22 members included 17 in February, three on May 8 and two on Monday.
The latest two expelled were Kok Lanas assemblyman Datuk Mohamed Farid Mohamed Zawawi and Parit Armada chief Wan Meor Safwat Naqiuddin Shamsuddin.
Those sacked on May 8 were Suka Menanti assemblyman Dzowahir Ab Ghani, Sungai Tiang assemblyman Abdul Razak Khamis and Hulu Langat division chief Muhammad Faiz Rahmad.
Hamzah was among the 17 expelled in February amid wider rift with Muhyiddin, who stepped down as PN chairman in January but remains Bersatu president.
The party cited breaches of its constitution and ethics code for the sacking, although some affected leaders have linked the latest actions to Hamzah’s Reset gathering.
