Kiandee, the Sabah Bersatu chief, accused Muhyiddin of failing to effectively handle the party’s internal crisis, which he said had dragged on to a “point of no return”.
“What’s more unfortunate is that he is seen as using the little strength he has left merely to defend his position as Bersatu president while pursuing his personal agenda to return as prime minister one day.
“This includes blocking Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin from leading Bersatu in the future,” he said in a statement.
The former minister also described the disciplinary board’s action against Hamzah and several leaders aligned with him as a “desperate” misuse of party procedures to shut down dissenting voices.
He said these were regressive steps that went against efforts to bolster the party ahead of the next general election.
“This has caused Malaysians to see Bersatu as directionless and straying from its original struggle, as though the party’s sole purpose is to ensure that Muhyiddin remains in power while protecting certain leaders, with total disregard for our allies in Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“Therefore, to restore and rebuild Bersatu and its strategic relationship with PN components, it is time that Muhyiddin considers stepping down as Bersatu president.
“I believe that this statement can be accepted by a magnanimous leader like Muhyiddin, since it is in line with his own statement to the late Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2008,” the six-term Beluran MP added.
In 2008, Muhyiddin had urged Abdullah, the prime minister at the time, to relinquish the top post and hand it over to his deputy, Najib Razak, before 2010.
This was after the opposition won 82 seats in the 2008 general election, marking the first time that Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Bersatu has been fraught with infighting for months amid a leadership tussle between Muhyiddin and Hamzah, the opposition leader.
The turmoil led to calls from both factions for the leaders to step down from their posts, as well as disciplinary action against three MPs, including Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Saifuddin Abdullah, who were sacked.
Calls for Muhyiddin to quit as Bersatu president grew stronger amid a separate dispute with PAS over the PN chairmanship, which he relinquished on Jan 1.
The post has remained vacant although PAS has laid claim to it. The PN Supreme Council has yet to convene to confirm Muhyiddin’s resignation as chairman and appoint his successor.