Muhyiddin might be hard-pressed to choose between Hamzah and Azmin, says source

PETALING JAYA: The one who will be the next deputy prime minister will be one whom Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin believes has more support among Bersatu MPs, says a source.

The source said that while the main contenders for the post of Deputy Prime Minister has now been narrowed down to only two - Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and Datuk Seri Azmin Ali - the supreme council has handed over the final say to Muhyiddin.

"Contrary to convention, this time round, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob would not have any say in who will be his deputy prime minister.

"Yes, it is the Prime Minister’s prerogative but it was agreed in the deal with Perikatan Nasional's 51 MPs that should they support Ismail, the DPM post will be Bersatu's.

"Bersatu will have complete say of who it will be,” said the source.

The source also said that the deputy prime minister will also be holding a few other ministerial portfolios in the Cabinet, to ensure he can play a more strengthened role.

"At present, Hamzah is an appointed secretary-general of Bersatu, known for bringing in about six former Umno MPs into the party.

"Azmin, who was the deputy president of PKR before he joined Bersatu, is known for bringing in 11 MPs when the Sheraton Move happened. Also, that bloc of 11 MPs is still very much with Azmin,” said the source.

The source further said that Hamzah’s winning point is that he has the confidence of Muhyiddin as someone who joined the party before Azmin.

"However, Azmin is widely known as the one who went all out to get support for Muhyiddin to be the prime minister when Dr Mahathir suddenly resigned on Feb 24, 2020,” said the source.

The source further said that Ismail Sabri would most likely announce the Cabinet line-up on Wednesday (Aug 25) as he hits the ground running.

"He was already in Kedah visiting flood victims on his first day of work and we are told to prepare for the announcement of some of the new Cabinet members tomorrow (Wednesday).

"There will be a few announcements in the next few days, not all in one big announcement,” the source said.