PETALING JAYA: Bersatu, the party behind the formation of Perikatan Nasional, has slammed PAS and claimed that “abuse of power” had led to the coalition’s deregistration.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, whose party has been shunned by other coalition members, warned against abuse of power “to serve the interest of certain parties”.
He said coalition leaders must treat all component parties fairly and comply with its constitution and the Societies Act 1966.
“Do not abuse power merely to serve the interests of a particular party or group, to the point of causing the coalition to stray from its original purpose and objectives,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Perikatan, in fact, was Muhyiddin’s brainchild.
It was formed on Aug 7, 2020 and now, just over six years on, the coalition is staring at oblivion after being deregistered.
Muhyiddin said he was saddened by the decision to cancel Perikatan’s registration but described it as a reminder to those leading political coalitions.
Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Azmin Ali laid the blame squarely on PAS.
He said the deregistration showed that the coalition’s leadership, held by PAS, had breached the Societies Act 1966 and the coalition’s constitution.
He said the explanation and evidence provided by PAS during the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) investigation were baseless and failed to meet legal and constitutional requirements.
Azmin said Perikatan leaders, mostly from PAS, had made a “fatal” mistake by denying Bersatu the right to attend, express its views and vote at the coalition’s Supreme Council meeting on July 16.
“This was a violation of Clause 7.1 of its own constitution,” said Azmin.
Azmin added the RoS decision vindicated Bersatu’s efforts to save the coalition.
“Bersatu’s complaint on Aug 11, 2026, was intended to ensure that Perikatan was managed according to the principles of accountability, transparency and integrity,” he said.
Azmin also alleged that PAS and its allies had tried to portray themselves as victims to gain sympathy ahead of the Melaka state polls
He added that Bersatu would study the full RoS decision and discuss its next steps at the party’s supreme council meeting.
The party aimed to rebuild public confidence in a moderate political coalition that promoted values-based politics and a new vision for a Malaysia that ensured prosperity for all Malaysians, he said.
In a separate statement, Bersatu’s youth wing Armada said it wanted an immediate political restructuring plan for the party.
Armada information chief Harris Idaham Rashid said this was to safeguard the dignity, rights and voices of all party members at the grassroots level.
“We are ready to rise and rebuild without submitting to any party that places personal interests above the struggle for the people,” he said.
“This is a crisis that could have been avoided had the coalition’s top leadership respected the fundamental principles of organisational administration,” said Harris Idaham.
