IN Malaysian politics, the smallest state, Perlis, has often been an afterthought – until it recently became the setting for a real-world sequel to a cult movie classic.
Just as the 1986 film saw its protagonist dragged into an ancient, mystical war he barely understood, Muhyiddin found himself caught in the Perlis Move, a sudden, messy coup within the smallest state in the federation.
The crisis, triggered by a dispute over the mentri besar post, fractured the trust between Bersatu and PAS. Ultimately, this “little” trouble proved too much to contain, forcing Muhyiddin to resign as Per-ikatan Nasional’s chairman on Thursday.
The collapse of the Perlis state government that had been led by a PAS mentri besar was a sudden stab in the back that mirrored the treacherous turns of a cinematic thriller.
The crisis was ignited on Dec 22 when five Bersatu assemblymen, including the current Mentri Besar, Abu Bakar Hamzah, secretly joined forces with three rebel PAS assemblymen to file statutory declarations to oust then PAS mentri besar, Mohd Shukri Ramli.
To the PAS leadership, this was backstabbing not by their enemies, but by their own allies in Perikatan. Bersatu gained a mentri besar post in the country’s smallest state, but it came at a high cost for Bersatu president Muhyiddin. It was the final blow to his authority in the Opposition coalition.
Realising that his leadership could no longer bridge the divide between Bersatu’s “small state” ambitions and PAS’s “big grievances”, the former prime minister felt he had to step down as Perikatan chairman.
A senior Bersatu leader, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal from the party president, revealed that PAS and Team Hamzah – a faction loyal to Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin – had been planning to unseat Muhyiddin as Perikatan chairman for more than a year.
The Perlis Move provided the perfect pretext.
The Bersatu MP elaborated that the tipping point occurred in a chat group of Perikatan MPs, when “quite a number of MPs” openly called for Muhyi-ddin to step down.
“I think that put immense pressure on Tan Sri. He realised he had lost the support of a significant number of MPs,” he said, adding that on that day, the Pagoh MP announced he was quitting as head of the Opposition coalition.
Why did Muhyiddin allow Bersatu to obtain a mentri besar post at the expense of angering Perikatan ally PAS, which has the most MPs in Malaysia, I asked.
“The reason is simple: he miscalculated. It was a major blunder. The situation could have been resolved amicably if he had called a proper meeting a year ago when the problems first started,” he said.
“Honestly, he is not as sharp as he used to be. He was a brilliant politician for 40 years, but over time, that edge has faded.”
With Muhyiddin’s departure, the “trouble in little Perlis” has fundamentally reshaped the national landscape. On Friday, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang confirmed that PAS is ready to “assume leadership” of Perikatan.
As PAS president, Abdul Hadi remains a natural choice, but his poor health has opened the door to a new generation of leaders. The battle to lead the coalition into the next general election now appears to be a two-horse race between the favourite, a PAS technocrat, and a dark horse, a Bersatu wheeler-dealer.
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, a PAS vice-president and the Terengganu Mentri Besar, is widely viewed as the moderate, intellectual choice, capable of “bridge-building” beyond the core Malay-Muslim base. Hamzah, the Bersatu wheeler-dealer, is seen as a politician who is able to cut deals with parties/coalitions such as Umno, Gabungan Parti Sara-wak, and DAP to place the Opposition in a position to take federal power.
Curious to know who could be the next Perikatan chairman, I contacted Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, whom Bersatu seemingly sacked for campaigning to get Muhyiddin removed as party president.
Wan Saiful noted that the hope is for PAS to take over, as it is the largest and strongest party in Perikatan. If he had a choice, it would be Ahmad Samsuri, as he is one person who can project a very different image for PAS.
“We need to understand that within the PN coalition, we also have Gerakan and MIPP [Malay-sian Indian People’s Party], which are understandably wary about PAS leading.
“They are concerned the public will perceive PN solely as a religious coalition, which could impact their potential supporters,” he said.
“PAS understands this. It would want to put forward someone more acceptable to the coalition partners and the general public.
“I believe Samsuri fulfils that criteria.”
On why non-Malays would be more welcoming of Ahmad Samsuri than of other PAS leaders, Wan Saiful said it is due to a long-standing culture of fear in Malaysian politics.
“We tend to fear what we don’t know. Non-Malays often fear PAS because they are unfamiliar with its leaders. How-ever, a face like Samsuri projects the image of a professional person rather than just a religious leader,” he explained.
Wan Saiful also thinks that PAS could even nominate Bersatu’s Hamzah if it wanted to.
“It doesn’t strictly have to be someone from PAS. The important thing is that the candidate is named by PAS, in the same way PAS named the Opposition leader before,” he said.
However, the Tasek Gelugor MP said the challenge is the group that refuses to accept Muhyiddin’s resignation. There is a faction within Bersatu trying to create hurdles for PAS to lead or to nominate its candidate.
On who could win the race to the chairmanship, Wan Saiful thinks Hamzah has a chance.
“The first choice in everyone’s mind would be Hamzah. I think this sentiment spans all four parties,” he said.
“He is one of the most senior leaders in the coalition and commands widespread respect. Over the last six months, Hamzah has been able to earn greater trust from coalition partners compared with Muhyiddin.”
However, Wan Saiful noted there’s an unwritten understanding that the leadership transition would shift from Bersatu to PAS.
“Unless PAS suddenly decides to name Hamzah, I think they will name Samsuri. These are the two top contenders at the moment,” he said.
On how post-Muhyiddin Perikatan leadership will affect national politics, Wan Saiful said that, looking ahead in 2026, everyone will be preparing for state elections in Melaka and Johor and the General Election at some point.
“There will be a sense of rejuvenation with new leadership and higher motivation. Whether that results in victory depends on whether Bersatu can overcome its internal divisions,” he said.
“Will this cause the fall of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government?” I asked.
“Once the PN leadership changes, the dynamics will shift completely. The public will start asking why Umno is still in the government. If Umno is brave enough to leave due to ideological differences, the landscape will look very different,” he said.
As the curtain falls on Muhyiddin’s Perikatan chairmanship, the credits are rolling on his leadership, proving that there is indeed no trouble quite like Big Trouble in Little Perlis.
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