This comes days after Dungun Bersatu chief Abdul Aziz Ismail called on party president Muhyiddin Yassin to go on garden leave in the wake of the public spats between party leaders.
Larut Bersatu Youth chief Nur Firdaus Hamzah said the wing was aware of the challenges facing the party’s leadership, including concerns over Muhyiddin’s health and his ongoing court proceedings.
“We urge that the agreed leadership transition plan be implemented in a respectful and orderly manner to ensure the stability of Bersatu, while strengthening PN as it prepares for GE16,” he said in a statement.
Aziz had said that Muhyiddin should “go on a break” and allow an acting president to determine the party’s course, while party secretary-general Azmin Ali should be dropped to restore Bersatu’s image and integrity as “issues of morality” were affecting its reputation.
He said his division also wants Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz to be replaced by a more “proactive and capable” successor who could then fortify the machinery at the division level.
Nur Firdaus expressed support for Bersatu Supreme Council member Saifuddin Abdullah’s call for greater openness and democracy within the party.
“Bersatu must practise the principles of democracy and openness. In a healthy political party, criticism is not an act of betrayal. Instead, it is a form of check and balance that should be celebrated,” he said.
He warned that if members were no longer allowed to criticise the leadership, the party risked becoming a “cult of personality”.
PN had dropped Saifuddin as its Pahang chief, not long after he openly criticised Muhyiddin and called for his resignation as Bersatu president.
Bersatu information chief Harris Idaham Rashid responded by calling for immediate disciplinary action against Saifuddin over his criticisms of Muhyiddin. He also said that Saifuddin should leave the party if he had lost trust in the president.
Nur Firdaus, however, said Larut Bersatu Youth rejected statements by Harris on the Bersatu internal crisis, saying they “did not reflect the true position of Larut Bersatu Youth or the majority of Bersatu Youth in Perak”.
“He should focus on championing the people’s issues rather than promoting himself, and address his personal controversies instead,” he added.
Dungun Bersatu Youth also defended Saifuddin, with its chief Shahir Ammar Sazely saying that differences of opinion should not be a reason to suspend or expel a member, but they signify political maturity and the strength of one’s fight.