Muhyiddin said he was aware of calls for a change in the party leadership, including by Eddin Syazlee Shith, a Bersatu Supreme Council member, who said on Thursday a reshuffle was needed to fill a “void” in the party.

Eddin Syazlee, a former deputy minister who was dropped as the Negeri Sembilan Perikatan Nasional chief in June, also said party heavyweights like opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, the current Bersatu secretary-general, were capable of taking on greater responsibilities.

His call came in the wake of four Bersatu MPs pledging their support for Anwar Ibrahim’s government.

However, Muhyiddin, the PN chairman, said he was still considering defending his presidency in the party elections, which must be held next year.

He told FMT that while party elections allowed for members to choose their leaders, he was worried that such democratic practices would lead to a less than desirable outcome.

“If there is a contest, it could divide the party into camps, like what occurred in Umno.

“So, there is a possibility we will discuss a line-up that would be accepted by all,” he said.

Muhyiddin, a former Umno deputy president, was sacked by the party in 2016, after appearing on the same stage with the opposition.

He said Bersatu will find a way to ensure a smooth transition “when the time comes”, but he was reluctant to identify a potential successor who could hold a senior post in both the party and government, should PN come back to power.

“There are many potential leaders with decades of experience, but who have yet to be given an opportunity. In fact, some of them can be a deputy prime minister,” he said.