Zaid Decodes Pas They Want Hamzah Not Muhyiddin As Pm

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Reading between the lines of PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah’s remarks, Zaid Ibrahim believes the Islamist party is backing Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainuddin over his superior Muhyiddin Yassin as its preferred prime minister candidate.
The former law minister told Malaysiakini this when asked to elaborate on his post on X titled “PAS’ magnanimity, Bersatu’s moment of truth”.
“PAS, through Amar, has displayed rare political magnanimity in putting forward Hamzah (above, left) as the prime ministerial candidate if Perikatan Nasional forms the next government,” he said in the post.
When it was pointed out that Amar had merely stated Hamzah could play a key role in formulating PN’s strategy for the next general election without explicitly naming him as the PM candidate, Zaid replied: “That’s my interpretation, it’s a nice way to tell Muhyiddin. The people in PN understand that clearly.”
ADSMuhyiddin is the president of Bersatu and chairperson of PN. He had served as prime minister for 17 months after cobbling together a coalition in the aftermath of the Sheraton Move, which collapsed the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.
Ex-minister Zaid IbrahimIn his post, Zaid framed PAS’ move as a departure from the usual power struggles seen in other coalitions, where multiple contenders often jostled for the top job at the expense of unity and focus.
“Now the ball is in Bersatu’s court. Will it reciprocate this gesture with equal pragmatism and political maturity?” he asked.
Hamzah could pull in non-Malays
Urging Bersatu to face reality, the former minister stressed that the political landscape is shifting.
Zaid argued that Hamzah holds broader appeal - including among non-Malays - a demographic PN cannot afford to alienate if it hopes to make meaningful gains.
“Pairing him with technocratic leaders like (PAS secretary-general) Takiyuddin Hassan and (Terengganu Menteri Besar) Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar could present a formidable, inclusive leadership team capable of challenging Madani’s dominance,” he added.
Zaid warned that if PN fails to unite and contest under a coherent, credible platform with clear leadership direction, it could spell the coalition’s downfall.
“Why? Because if Madani manages to consolidate and win in 2027 then he (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim) will increase/expand the total parliamentary seats in 2028. By then, PN risks permanent political irrelevance.
“This is not the time for ego or nostalgia. It is time for strategy, vision, and sacrifice; for the greater cause of national renewal,” he added, in a pointed message to Muhyiddin.
Zaid’s comments came in response to a Free Malaysia Today report quoting Amar as saying that strategic planning was typically a team effort and not the sole responsibility of the Bersatu president or PN chairperson.
PAS veep Amar Abdullah“Strategy is usually crafted as a team, not by any individual. So the issue of changing the (Bersatu) president doesn’t arise,” he said.
Amar also stressed that PAS had no intention of interfering in Bersatu’s reported internal dispute over whether Muhyiddin should remain as president and PN chairperson, or be replaced by Hamzah. - Mkini

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