Tangga Batu Bersatu chief Ramlan Meon said Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz’s remarks were not cleared by the party’s Supreme Council and risked misrepresenting the party’s position.

“Since when can an information chief openly attack a party leader?” Ramlan asked.

“Tun Faisal should be brought before the disciplinary board for publicly criticising the deputy president.”

Ramlan added that Tun Faisal’s actions had damaged the party’s image. He also said that Tun Faisal’s statement reflected poorly on Muhyiddin, who had appointed him.

Tun Faisal yesterday rebuffed calls by Bersatu Supreme Council member Yunus Nurdin for Muhyiddin to step down as president, saying his deputy, Hamzah, should resign instead.

Tun Faisal said Hamzah had failed to perform as the party’s Sabah election director, pointing out that Bersatu did not win a single seat in last November’s state polls.

He accused Hamzah, the opposition leader, of failing to rein in his supporters in the party, leading to their repeated breach of party discipline and the Bersatu constitution.

Tun Faisal also defended Muhyiddin against claims that he had mishandled talks with PAS over the Perikatan Nasional chairmanship, saying negotiations were still at the proposal stage and had yet to be finalised.

When asked to comment on Ramlan’s criticism of him, Tun Faisal urged members not to practise “double standards”.

Tun Faisal also said that party members should reflect on their own actions and reassess their past behaviour before criticising others.

“Party members can repeatedly demand that the president step down after election failures,” he told FMT.

“Yet, they get upset when it is suggested that the deputy president should step down due to his own failures and inability to control supporters who repeatedly violate party rules.”