KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee has urged Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to step down as the party's president.
Kiandee said Muhyiddin Yassin has failed to manage the party's internal crisis effectively, allowing it to drag on to a point where it is almost impossible to recover.
"It is as if the party's struggle is now only focused on maintaining Muhyiddin's power and protecting a group of certain leaders, without taking into account the relationships with friends in the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
"Muhyiddin is seen using all his remaining strength solely to defend his position as president to fulfil his personal agenda to return to being the Prime Minister, including blocking Hamzah from leading Bersatu," he said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday (Feb 10).
Kiandee said Muhyiddin should consider stepping down as president to strengthen strategic relationships, restore and rebuild Bersatu.
"If we want to strengthen strategic relationships with Perikatan's component partners, it is time for Muhyiddin to consider stepping down from the position of Bersatu's president.
"I believe the noble intention of this statement can be accepted by a leader with a big heart like Muhyiddin, not to mention that this stance is in line with the essence of his own statement in Singapore in 2008 against the late Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," he said.
His comments come after Bersatu summoned its deputy president, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, over allegations that he was involved in efforts to sabotage the party and tarnish Muhyiddin's image.
"The action carried out by Bersatu's disciplinary board against Hamzah on old and new charges is clearly a regressive step and contradicts efforts to strengthen the party.
"What is worrying is that the action of the disciplinary board to confront the division heads, including elected representatives, MP's and state assemblymen who support Hamzah, shows abuse of disciplinary procedures.
Kiandee said this situation has caused Bersatu to appear increasingly aimless, deviating from its goal in the eyes of the people.
It was reported on Monday (Feb 9) that Hamzah and four party division leaders have also been summoned to a disciplinary board hearing this Thursday (Feb 12).
An internal Bersatu notice dated Feb 6 said the party would make a final decision if they fail to attend.
The notice said the summons was issued because Bersatu believed there had been attempts to sabotage the party and tarnish the image of Muhyiddin.
In separate notices dated Feb 7 – Ahmad Nasir Mid (Selayang), Abdul Aziz Ismail (Dungun), Zulkifli Bujang (Johor Baru) and Ramlan Meon (Tangga Batu) – were summoned for different incidents.
They were alleged to have attempted to undermine Muhyiddin as the president and to support Hamzah.
All four division chiefs were instructed to attend separate hearings at the party headquarters on the same day as Hamzah’s hearing.
