Only one of 12 summoned attends
PETALING JAYA: Only one of 12 Bersatu leaders summoned to face the party’s disciplinary board turned up at its headquarters.
Opposition leader and Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was among the 11 who did not attend the hearing yesterday.
“I am still in Sydney,” Hamzah said briefly when contacted.
The sole attendee was Hulu Langat Bersatu information chief Shafiq Abdul Halim, who is accused of attempting to undermine and sabotage party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
As of press time, disciplinary board chairman Datuk Mohammed Radzi Manan had yet to issue a statement on the hearing.
Speaking to reporters after his session, Shafiq claimed the disciplinary action reflected shrinking space for dissent within the party.
“I can say that freedom of speech within the party has been eliminated. I also do not understand why, as a component of Perikatan Nasional, we are not allowed to support PAS, which is our partner in the coalition,” he said.
Shafiq also openly acknowledged the existence of rival camps within Bersatu.
“There is no need to deny that there are two camps – one aligned with secretary-general Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and another with Hamzah.
“One group traces its roots to PKR and the other to Umno, and both want to be the dominant force in the party. That is how the internal cracks began,” he said.
Among those summoned were Bersatu supreme council members Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin and Yunus Nurdin, along with division chiefs Ahmad Ishak (Gopeng), Mohd Yunus Mohd Yusof (Tapah), Kamaruddin Majid (Teluk Intan), Datuk Zulkifli Bujang (Johor Baru) and Dr Mohd Yadzil Yaakub (Jasin).
On Feb 6, Bersatu announced it had summoned Hamzah and four division leaders in what it described as a move to address alleged sabotage within the party.
In the notice issued to Hamzah, he was accused of sabotaging and tarnishing the image of the party and its president.
The notice alleged that he had been involved in efforts to collect statutory declarations by manipulating arrangements at the Gopeng retreat, sabotage last year’s annual general assembly, and thwart a motion to retain Muhyiddin as Bersatu’s prime minister candidate and as party president.
It also cited Hamzah’s Jan 28 remark at the Dewan Rakyat – “I wasn’t even invited, so how could I be expected to attend?” – as having damaged the image of both Muhyiddin and the party.
The notice warned that failure to attend the hearing would empower the disciplinary board to deliberate and decide on the complaint without further reference to Hamzah.
Any recommendation or decision made would be final, stated the notice.
