Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Wan Meor Safwat Naqiuddin Shamsudin’s resignation as chief of Bersatu Youth’s professional and volunteer bureau indicated ongoing tension, despite party president Muhyiddin Yassin insisting that members were no longer squabbling over the results of the polls.

Azmi said it was no secret that the elections which concluded in November last year had divided Bersatu into factions aligned with individual leaders vying for positions.

“When representatives from both factions hold roles, it should create a more stable environment without disputes over the election results.

“I believe this so-called win-win situation shouldn’t cause problems, but now we see a Bersatu Youth exco member resigning from a position decided by the chief,” Azmi told FMT.

Wan Meor had cited differences with Hilman in announcing his resignation yesterday. However, he retains his exco position which he won at the party elections last October.

He said the disagreement concerned the administrative structure of the youth wing, which he claimed appeared “unconventional”, did not reflect good governance, and risked destabilising the wing in general.

Hilman meanwhile said that Wan Meor should not try to teach others about good governance, but should simply hand over his responsibilities to his replacement.

The Gombak Setia assemblyman also criticised Wan Meor for staying silent during meetings but voicing his opinions publicly.

Azmi said further discord in Bersatu Youth was possible if the issues central to the spat between Hilman and Wan Meor were not quickly resolved.

“If senior leaders don’t demonstrate effective leadership, more conflicts could arise.

“This will undoubtedly weaken Bersatu and, by extension, Perikatan Nasional, as the next general election (GE16) approaches, given the lack of unity,” he added.

Wan Meor had called for transparency last year over the objections leading to a change in the election outcome which, notably, saw Hilman defeating his competitor Akmal Zahin Zainal Zahir by a margin of 170 votes.

Lau Zhe Wei of International Islamic University Malaysia said the rift between the two wing leaders was nothing out of the ordinary.

He added that issues affecting the central leadership often had an effect on individual wings as well.

“The question is whether this will destabilise Bersatu Youth.

“So far, it’s an internal issue and hasn’t escalated to a level that would impact voter confidence in GE16,” he said.