Bersatu President and Perikatan Nasional (PN) Deputy Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on PAS leadership to promptly nominate a new Opposition Leader to replace Hamzah Zainudin, who has been expelled from the party, in order to protect the image and dignity of PN.
Muhyiddin pointed out that Hamzah is no longer a member of Bersatu or PN, and therefore is no longer eligible to serve as Opposition Leader.
He said that during the most recent PN Supreme Council meeting chaired by him, the matter of the Opposition Leader's position was discussed, and it was unanimously agreed that the position should be vacated and replaced by a nominee from PAS, which holds the most parliamentary seats.
"In other countries, if someone leaves their political party, it is natural for them to resign from any related positions. This is a responsibility. But he has yet to step down, and that is one of the issues."
Muhyiddin revealed that PAS President Tan Sri Hadi Awang mentioned needing time for internal discussion. He emphasized that according to procedure, PAS should decide which Member of Parliament will be the next Opposition Leader and formally inform the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.
He made the call during an interview with Sinar Daily, urging PAS to make a decision soon, warning that otherwise, PN's overall image would be affected.
"Hamzah ought to feel ashamed, as he no longer holds any legal status and his legitimacy can be questioned. Since he lacks legitimacy, he should not remain in that position."
Muhyiddin also pointed out that Hamzah could serve as Opposition Leader previously because he had the party's nomination; now that he is no longer a party member, naturally, he is no longer suitable for the role.
In response to the 13 Bersatu MPs who have publicly supported Hamzah continuing as Opposition Leader, Muhyiddin said that was only the opinion of individual MPs and not the party's official stance.
"This is a policy decision of the party, not something that individual MPs can decide. Since the party nominated him in the first place, the party's decision should be followed. When we nominated him, we did not individually ask all 70 MPs for their agreement."
Currently, the Dewan Rakyat Speaker has not yet received a new nomination, so Hamzah is still regarded as the Opposition Leader. Muhyiddin believes that if Hamzah is aware he is no longer qualified, he should proactively resign and notify the Speaker in order to resolve the related dispute as soon as possible.