Sacked Bersatu number two Hamzah Zainudin and his camp have signalled that they might be opening another party — and judging by the support and personalities lining up behind him, that party is likely going to be another major Malay party in the country.
This is not idle speculation. After his expulsion from Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu), Hamzah declared himself a “free man” and claimed that 18 out of the party’s 25 MPs support him. Speaking at the “Reset” gathering on February 14, the Larut MP said, “There are 18 Bersatu MPs who announced that they support me… I am no longer in Bersatu. If there are MPs who support me, must they join me by leaving the party? Not necessarily. What matters is that they provide enough support for us to carry out what needs to be done in the future.”
Sixteen MPs had already backed party vice-president Ronald Kiandee’s call for Muhyiddin Yassin to step down as party president and make way for Hamzah. Several prominent MPs — including Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Saifuddin Abdullah, Rosol Wahid and Azahari Hassan — have aligned themselves with him. Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, the Wanita Bersatu chief, was also present at the gathering in support of Hamzah. Reports now suggest that Hamzah and at least 16 MPs may move into a “new home” as early as next week. Padang Rengas MP Azahari Hassan confirmed, “I will also join this new home together with other MPs… Hamzah will announce his ‘new home’ in the near future, God willing next week.”
Hamzah has kept his options deliberately open. “It can be a new party, or it can be an old party in a new house,” he said. He also addressed speculation about joining PAS or UMNO, adding, “If I have the support, then I will consider the options.” Regarding rumours of taking over Berjasa, he dismissed them as mere speculation.
Either way, Hamzah is not positioning himself as a follower. He is positioning himself as a leader. Former Bersatu Supreme Council member Yunus Nurdin explained, “The ‘new home’ refers to an existing party that he will take over… He has hinted at the party but has not disclosed its name. God willing, it will be announced soon, as it cannot be delayed… He is not interested in joining a major party as his strategy is to lead a party himself in order to fully demonstrate his capabilities.”
Currently, the Malays have at least half a dozen Malay parties representing them — Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), People's Justice Party (PKR), Bersatu, National Trust Party (Amanah), and Malaysian Homeland Fighters Party (Pejuang).
With Hamzah’s new party forming, the field has become even more crowded. Hamzah’s new party will likely be a major Malay party, considering that it may enjoy tacit support from PAS and that it could attract a large number — perhaps even the lion’s share — of Bersatu’s leaders and followers. If 18 MPs truly stand with him, then this is not merely a splinter group. It is a serious political force in waiting.
Although Hamzah’s new party will likely cannibalise parts of Bersatu in order to build itself, it does not mean that Bersatu will disappear from the radar. If PAS were to lean more in favour of Hamzah’s party than Muhyiddin’s Bersatu, Muhyiddin can always take his party elsewhere — perhaps toward Pakatan Harapan, or perhaps into some form of alignment with UMNO — in order to survive. Malaysian political alignments have never been fixed; they shift according to necessity.
On one hand, the increase of yet another Malay political party may cause competition for Malay votes to go into overdrive. When too many parties compete to represent the same majority, each will feel compelled to prove it is the most authentic defender of Malay rights, religion, and political dominance. That escalation may intensify rhetoric and harden positions.
It may also reinforce a deeper anxiety at the grassroots level — the belief among many Malays that they are becoming politically weaker because they are divided. As of today, the increased race and religious tensions in Malaysia are, in large part, driven by this perception: that Malay political fragmentation weakens them, especially when contrasted with the perceived strength of the Chinese electorate lining up solidly behind Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Hamzah himself frames his effort as more than just party politics. “I am no longer in Bersatu… I look forward to leading a new struggle to ‘help build the nation,’” he said. “Come and join me in a sincere struggle for the country’s future… The MPs who support me do not necessarily have to leave the party. What matters is that they provide enough support for us to carry out what needs to be done in the future.”
This perception of weakening Malay influence matters because Malays are the majority in the country. When the majority feels divided, Malaysia as a whole “catches a cold” whenever it sneezes. A fractured majority can destabilize coalitions, unsettle policymaking, and amplify uncertainty in governance. It can also cause religious and racial tension to intensify at the grassroot level, if the grassroot, seeing a divided and weak leadership, decide to take it upon themselves to strenghten their race at the grassroot level.
Now, with Hamzah further crowding the field — and with the possibility that DAP might leave Anwar Ibrahim’s administration on July 12 depending on internal party decisions — it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict where Malaysian politics is heading. If DAP withdraws from the government while Malay politics simultaneously becomes more fragmented, the entire political equilibrium could shift again. Alliances may be recalculated. Old enemies may rediscover one another. New blocs may emerge.
One thing is certain: Malaysian politics in 2026 is likely going to be a complicated and bewildering affair. Predictability is running out the window. Uncertainty is knocking on the door.
And Hamzah’s move — whether framed as a “new struggle” or a “new home” — may well be the trigger that pushes Malay politics into its most fractious phase yet. With the majority Malay population divided, the consequences will ripple through the nation, making every political sneeze from the Malay majority a tremor for the country as a whole.
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