Gutter politics stuns Bersatu leaders

THE shockwaves from Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan’s explosive press conference have yet to subside.

It was not the sort of thing expected of someone seen as an up-and-coming leader and one of the brainiest personalities in Bersatu.

He was once regarded as a blue-eyed boy of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin but the Bersatu president’s eyes must have almost popped out over the damage done.

Wan Saiful, who is Tasik Gelugor MP, has every right to defend himself against accusations that he was the architect behind the alleged statutory declaration (SD) campaign to get Muhyiddin to step aside.

But his personal attack against party secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali was a thunderbolt from out of the blue and it made no sense to those watching on.

“By all means, go ahead and deny there was a plot against our president but why smear another leader this way? It is gutter politics, really no class,” said Kuala Selangor division chief Datuk Harrison Hassan, who is also Jeram assemblyman.

What stunned Bersatu leaders even more was that Wan Saiful was overheard telling reporters that he had brought the matter to the attention of the Home Ministry. That was seen as an outright act of sabotage against the party.

Yet, this was the man whom Muhyiddin had been so fond of that he was given what some called a “special lane” to pick any seat he wanted to contest in the 2022 general election. That was how much Muhyiddin valued his role in the party.

Has the clashing political ambitions that burst like a balloon during the party’s general assembly or PAT (Perhimpunan Agung Tahunan) last month reached a new level?

Is this another confirmation that the party is split between those loyal to Muhyiddin and those who prefer Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin?

Rightly or wrongly, Wan Saiful’s dramatic press conference implicated Hamzah because he is aligned to the deputy president.

The pair were part of the group behind the SD campaign which they now claim was to support Muhyiddin although the original SD clearly proposes that Hamzah should be made the acting president so that he can take the lead in preparing for the general election.

An audio recording of a secret meeting that the pro-Hamzah group held at the Al Rawsha Restaurant in Shah Alam, hours before the start of the PAT last month, has been circulating among members. The group comprising division leaders aligned with Hamzah had planned to smuggle flags printed with Hamzah’s name to use at the party convention that evening.

“From what we heard on the audio, their aim was to make sure Tan Sri Muhyiddin would not be named the prime minister candidate,” said central committee member Dr Afif Bahardin.

It is quite hard to imagine that Hamzah, who is known to be a smooth operator, would be associated with Wan Saiful’s press conference that some described as a train wreck.

It is puzzling that Wan Saiful, aged 50 and ranked among the creme de la creme in his student years in the United Kingdom, would show such poor conventional wisdom.

Party insiders said he was upset after being summoned to face the party’s disciplinary panel. The story is that he is being pushed against the wall and decided to go for broke.

But was he aware that Muhyiddin and Hamzah had reached some kind of peace agreement?

Did he not see how Hamzah declared himself to be the “number one man” of Muhyiddin in front of hundreds of party delegates after the SD campaign backfired?

Moreover, the top two had met at Muhyiddin’s Bukit Damansara home, a few days after the party convention for a heart-to-heart discussion that lasted four hours.

A top aide of Muhyiddin, who was instrumental in getting the two men to get together, was then assigned to talk to Wan Saiful.

“I thought we understood each other and I also arranged for him to see our president,” said the aide after talking with Wan Saiful.

But before the meeting could take place, news came that Wan Saiful was calling a press conference.

The same aide tried to talk Wan Saiful out of it but he was headstrong and could not be dissuaded.

There have since been calls for action against Wan Saiful and three other division chiefs, Datuk Suhaimi Mohd Ghazali (Sepang), Mohd Isa Saidi (Ampang) and Muhammad Fadhli Ismail (Ipoh Timor), who were seated alongside him at the press conference.

“They had endorsed the transition team at our party election last year. The yin and yang was established, it provided the equilibrium to carry us into the next general election. But one year later, they want to disrupt the equilibrium,” said Dr Afif, who is also Taman Medan assemblyman.

Hamzah has been pointedly silent and steered clear of Wan Saiful’s warpath, leading some to speculate that the younger man has been thrown under the bus.

Why are Hamzah’s supporters in such a hurry when he is just a heartbeat from the top post?

Apparently, they are concerned their man may not make it because they think Muhyiddin prefers Azmin as the next president.

Wan Saiful evidently thinks so too, going by the way he drove the dagger into Azmin at the press conference.

A party source suggested that Wan Saiful resents Azmin who is able to whisper in the president’s ear.

He is also said to harbour a grudge against Azmin for successfully lobbying for his ally Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz to be the information chief, a post that Wan Saiful had wanted.

The source claimed that Wan Saiful might have felt frustrated because he had aspired to go for the vice-president post in the party election. But the top five positions had been pre-set in the name of a smooth transition.

Wan Saiful seems determined to bring down the house come what may. He has burnt his bridges or, as the saying goes, he has crossed the Rubicon.

Muhyiddin will not be a strong president with two camps in the party.

PAS leaders are equally concerned because they need a stable partner to further their ambitions in the next general election.

The rivalry in Bersatu boils down to a fight over who should be the prime minister candidate.

But if the infighting goes on, none of them will be prime minister and arriving in Putrajaya will be an elusive dream.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own