KUALA LUMPUR: Two of Malaysia’s main opposition parties Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) have traded barbs over PAS’ reappointment of former federal minister Hamzah Zainudin as Leader of the Opposition.Both parties are founding members of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition coalition although PAS had announced that it had severed ties with Bersatu last week.Bersatu information chief Faisal Ismail Aziz said that the Islamist party’s decision was a unilateral one that was made without proper consultation and against a previous decision by the PN supreme council.“These … announcements not only disregard the principles of consensus and unity that have long underpinned PN but also run contrary to the coalition’s constitution,” Faisal said, as reported by local media platform The Star on Monday (Jun 15).
Hamzah – a former Bersatu deputy president – was sacked from the party in February. He then resigned as opposition leader in April following months of limbo.Hamzah then launched the Reset movement, a political platform geared towards national reform, and unveiled his new party – the Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan) – over the weekend.PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang then announced on Saturday that Hamzah was to be reappointed as the opposition leader. Wawasan was also allowed to use PN’s logo in the upcoming state polls.With his reappointment as opposition leader, Hamzah takes over the role from Terengganu Chief Minister Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who will stay on as PN chairman.Faisal stressed that the PN supreme council in March had decided that a PAS lawmaker be appointed opposition leader following Hamzah’s expulsion from Bersatu.He further noted that PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan had said in May that the coalition was open to electoral cooperation or pacts with other parties and individuals who share its principles and vision.“It was stated that non-member parties may negotiate through a committee that would set the terms and conditions. However, there is still no indication that such a committee has been formed,” said Faisal.
