The internal rift within Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) has deepened dramatically after party president Muhyiddin Yassin openly accused his former deputy Hamzah Zainudin of betraying the party through secret political negotiations with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and other leaders.
The allegations come after Hamzah was expelled from Bersatu on Feb 13 following an intense leadership struggle that has since fractured the party’s parliamentary ranks and shaken the opposition coalition.
Muhyiddin said the decision to sack Hamzah was not taken lightly but was necessary to protect the party from internal sabotage and political manoeuvring conducted without the leadership’s consent.
According to Muhyiddin, one of the most serious issues involved Hamzah’s alleged covert meetings with Zahid, the president of Umno and chairman of Barisan Nasional.
He added that such discussions were not trivial political exchanges but involved plans that could potentially alter the political balance of power in the country.
“This is no small thing. That one particular thing alone is a very serious matter,” the former prime minister said.
Muhyiddin explained that the matter first came to his attention after Zahid publicly mentioned having met leaders from PAS and Bersatu to discuss the possibility of political cooperation. The talks were later widely referred to as the “Bangkok Move”, suggesting the possibility of a new political realignment.
Concerned about the implications of such discussions, Muhyiddin said he immediately raised the issue internally with Bersatu leaders.
“In our WhatsApp chat group, I asked: who met Zahid? Who?” he said.
However, he said the question was initially met with silence.
“No one answered,” Muhyiddin recalled.
According to him, the truth only emerged later when he received information confirming that Hamzah had been the one involved in the discussions.
Muhyiddin alleged that the discussions went beyond general political dialogue and involved plans to establish a new political configuration that could place Hamzah in a powerful position within the government.
“Hamzah had plans to form a new political configuration that would allow him to be appointed deputy prime minister, while another leader would hold the top post,” Muhyiddin claimed.
For Muhyiddin, the issue was not merely about ambition or strategy but about discipline and loyalty within the party.
He stressed that no party leader has the authority to negotiate with other political parties without the explicit mandate of the party leadership.
The Bersatu president said Hamzah had committed several other offences as well, but the alleged negotiations with Zahid were among the most serious.
“These actions were among the reasons why the disciplinary board decided that Hamzah had to be expelled from the party to prevent further problems,” he said.
The expulsion marked the climax of a bitter power struggle that had been brewing within Bersatu for months, with both camps accusing each other of attempting to seize control of the party.
Muhyiddin also said he had confronted Hamzah directly about alleged attempts to remove him as Bersatu president.
“I asked him about the moves to oust me,” Muhyiddin said.
But according to him, Hamzah denied any involvement.
Despite the denial, Muhyiddin said the series of events had permanently damaged his trust in the former deputy president.
“I don’t trust that name anymore. I’m sorry,” he said.
“When you have lost confidence in someone like that, it’s because they are dishonest. That is a big deal.”
Muhyiddin added that as party president, it was his responsibility to safeguard Bersatu from individuals whose actions could undermine its unity and direction.
“I need to protect my party,” he said.
The fallout from the dispute has also spilled over into the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, which consists of Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party.
Muhyiddin has vowed to oppose any attempt by Hamzah to rejoin PN through another political vehicle.
“If he wants to enter PN, I will say no because once bitten, twice shy,” Muhyiddin said.
“After all that he has done, he wants to rejoin the coalition?”
He acknowledged that the final decision would ultimately rest with the coalition’s component parties but made it clear that his own position was firm.
“PN has four components who will decide on that. Personally, some may say that in one or two years we should forgive him because we’re all human. But it’s not that simple,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hamzah appears to be charting a new political path after his expulsion from Bersatu.
The opposition leader has confirmed that discussions are underway for him to take over Parti Keluarga Malaysia, a relatively small political party that could serve as his new platform.
The party’s founder, Khairi Jaya, has said the takeover is almost complete.
“I can say it’s 90% confirmed that Hamzah will be taking over Parti Keluarga Malaysia,” Khairi reportedly said.
If the plan goes ahead, Hamzah and his allies would join the party before holding internal elections that could formally install him as its president.
Despite losing his party membership, Hamzah has managed to retain his position as opposition leader in Parliament.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has said that Hamzah will remain in the role until an official letter is submitted naming a replacement.
Several MPs aligned with Hamzah — including Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, Saifuddin Abdullah, Fathul Huzir Ayob and Azahari Hasan — have already been expelled from the party.
However, Hamzah is believed to still enjoy the support of 13 Bersatu MPs who remain sympathetic to his leadership.
Wan Saiful has confirmed that Hamzah did meet Zahid but disputed Muhyiddin’s portrayal of the discussions.
According to him, the meeting was part of a broader effort to unite the country’s major Malay political parties.
“Hamzah only held talks with those who could help achieve the goal of Malay political unity,” Wan Saiful said.
He argued that Zahid was a logical person to engage with given his position as president of Umno, one of the largest Malay-Muslim parties in Malaysia.
Wan Saiful also turned the criticism back on Muhyiddin, claiming that the Bersatu president himself had been the main obstacle to such efforts.
“Muhyiddin was the biggest obstruction to this move because he’s not interested in uniting the big Malay parties in Malaysia,” he said.
Muhyiddin, however, remains adamant that Hamzah’s actions were unacceptable.
For him, the issue is ultimately about trust — something he says has been irreparably broken.
Despite the internal turmoil, Muhyiddin insisted that Bersatu remains strong after what he described as a “clean-up” within the party.
“Bersatu remains relatively strong,” he said.
“How many members have actually left to follow Hamzah? Are they in the hundreds of thousands? How many division leaders have left?”
He maintained that the majority of Bersatu’s leaders and grassroots members remain loyal to the party.
“Not all MPs and assemblymen are aligned with Hamzah. The rest remain solid with the party,” he said.
Muhyiddin also emphasised that he does not intend to lead the party indefinitely.
“The party decided to keep me as president in 2024 for three years. There’s about two years left,” he said.
“When the time comes, I will hand over the post.”
However, he cautioned that leadership transitions must be handled carefully to ensure the party remains stable.
“But politics is not so simple,” he said.
“There are preparations and steps we must take to ensure that the party is strong enough before a leader leaves.”
For now, the bitter fallout between Muhyiddin and Hamzah continues to reshape the opposition landscape, with both sides digging in as the struggle for influence within Malaysian politics unfolds.
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