LEADERS who lost top positions in the recent Bersatu supreme council elections are adamant about staying put even as other members abandon the ruling party.

They told The Malaysian Insight they have no interest in joining Pejuang – a rival party set up by former Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Some of these former supreme council officials, however, expressed concern that the current line-up of decision-makers are overwhelmingly old, thus putting them out of touch with young voters.

They said such a line-up could be a liability when Bersatu faces its rivals in the opposition, particularly the new party of young leaders being set up by former Bersatu youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

“The new supreme council members are all aged 40 and above and there are no young voices,” said Muhammad Faiz Na’aman, a Bersatu leader in his early 30s who did not retain his post in the supreme council.

“There was no young leader who won. All of the winners are seniors. The party must rebalance this, otherwise it will be political ammunition for Syed Saddiq’s young leaders’ party.”  

Faiz said he is not interested in joining any other party, including Pejuang, as he felt that the latter was only a platform for those interested in political positions.

“There is no justification for me to go to other parties just because I lost in the Bersatu elections.

“For me, those who left for other parties are not sincere in their struggles,” he said.

“They are entering the party just to chase for posts,” said Faiz, who used to head Bersatu’s integrity and anti-corruption bureau.  

Bersatu’s crisis early this year saw the party split into rival camps led by current president and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and ex-chairman Dr Mahathir.

The two Bersatu founders had split over Muhyiddin’s decision to take the party out of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in late February, which then led to the collapse of the federal government.  

Muhyiddin then teamed up with Bersatu’s rivals, Umno and PAS, to form the Perikatan Nasional government, which currently controls Putrajaya.

After being sacked from the party, Dr Mahathir and five MPs from Bersatu went on to form Pejuang, which is an opposition party allied to PH.

Pejuang is currently attracting Bersatu members.

Another ex-supreme council member Wan Mohd Shahrir Wan Abd Jalil saw his loss as part and parcel of the ups and downs in politics.

“I am disappointed but this is the norm in party elections. Positions are not important to me. If I lose this year, in three years I can try again,” said the Pahang Bersatu deputy chief.

“I am not angry. I will take this chance to reflect and rectify my shortcomings. I will continue to contribute to the party in whatever way I can without expecting anything in return.”

Bersatu’s elections were its first since it was established in 2016 and saw 20 individuals elected to the supreme council.  

Among the new faces elected are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed and former Johor menteri besar Shahruddin Jamal.

Also elected into the decision-making body are deputy ministers Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz, Eddin Syazlee Shith and Rosol Wahid, as well as Perak exco Zainol Fadzi Paharudin.

Those who lost their supreme council bids include ex-minister Rais Yatim.

Some 22 of the 163 individuals who contested for a council seat had been ejected from the party mostly for siding with Dr Mahathir’s faction.

Ex-academic Sukiman Sarmani is also staying put in the party despite losing his seat on the council.

“After I retired from academia, I was invited into a world that was very foreign to me,” said the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Licensing Board.

“Maybe my ways are not suited for politics and the members made this known to me in the elections,” said the former chemistry professor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

“It did not occur to me at all to leave as this was the party that I entered after I retired.” – August 27, 2020.