Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara described the outcome of the top leadership polls as a win-win compromise for the warring factions supporting Hamzah Zainudin and Azmin Ali.
“Azmin has representatives in Saifuddin Abdullah or Dr Afif Bahardin, but Hamzah and the party president (Muhyiddin Yassin) have their own men in the Supreme Council. Overall, no camp can claim they are in control of the council.
“But I think Azmin’s camp is handicapped because so far, he has no position. He may be offered the secretary-general’s post, but I don’t think Azmin will accept it,” Azmi told FMT.
However, Azmi described the absence of a single woman in the 20-member Supreme Council as “very odd”, and warned that this could affect Bersatu’s support to some extent.
“Without an elected woman representative, it’s going to be a handicap for Bersatu in proclaiming that they are for all. Maybe the party president can use his power to appoint at least one woman representative,” he said.
The 20 members elected to the Supreme Council on Sunday were all men. The previous Supreme Council had two women – Ayer Hangat assemblyman Shamsilah Siru and Azlinda Abdul Latif, a former aide to Muhyiddin when he was prime minister.
The current Supreme Council includes Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who is a member by virtue of being head of the women’s wing.
Political weight from elected reps
Analyst Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia pointed out that most of the 20 leaders elected were MPs or assemblymen, lending them greater prominence, and said this was the right choice to further bolster the party in preparation for the next general election.
He agreed that there did not seem to be any camp dominating the top leadership, and said there appeared to be a greater maturity among delegates who voted.
He cited the defeat of the controversial former PKR man Badrul Hisham Shaharin, otherwise known as Chegubard.
“Although Chegubard is outspoken and has been vocal in highlighting certain issues, it looks like the Bersatu delegates prefer leaders who are seen as prominent in the political realm, namely MPs or assemblymen.
“To me the elected leaders are quite spot on, because the individuals chosen are figures who can play an important role, and who have big influence in the community,” he said.
Bersatu has been the only party to suffer indirect defections, after six MPs and one Selangor assemblyman stated support for the unity government without quitting the party, exploiting a loophole in the anti-hopping law.
Muhyiddin’s party has also fared poorly in by-elections, representing Perikatan Nasional in four and losing them all.