THERE hasn’t been much improvement in Bersatu since party president Muhyiddin Yassin took over from former chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2020, political observers said.

They said the relentless attacks from Umno, combined with Bersatu’s failure to hold on to federal power, are the main reasons why the party has not been able to establish itself as a strong political force.

Analysts have asked why the party did not actively recruit members or establish itself when it was in power.

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said Bersatu was not aggressive in promoting its brand.

“The party hasn’t developed and lately we see some defections from the party. Bersatu was not aggressive enough to recruit more members when it was in power,” Hisommudin said.

Recently Bersatu lost several members to newly formed Parti Bangsa Malaysia and last week, two Bersatu leaders in Johor – former Johor Bersatu chief and exco Mazlan Bujang and Larkin assemblyman Izhar Ahmad – decided to quit the party, opting to rejoin Umno.

Johor is due to go to the polls, with the Election Commission due to meet on February 9 to set a date.

Bersatu’s founding members came from Umno and the party was registered in January 2017.

It was initially part of Pakatan Harapan prior to the coalition’s victory in the 14th general election, which saw the defeat of Umno led Barisan Nasional for the first time in more than 60 years.

However, everything changed after 22 months when Bersatu, led by Muhyiddin, decided to pull out of the coalition.

Dr Mahathir was forced out of the party and took a small number of supporters with him to form Pejuang.

The PH government collapsed and Muhyiddin was sworn in as the eighth prime minister with the support from PAS, Umno and 10 PKR lawmakers.

Perikatan Nasional was soon established but Umno was not satisfied with Muhyiddin, accusing the Pagoh MP of side-lining his former party.

The situation came to a head when several Umno MPs, who were not part of Muhyiddin’s cabinet, withdrew support for him, further adding to political turmoil, which in turn led to Ismail Sabri Yaakob from Umno becoming the country’s ninth prime minister.

Bersatu has never recovered from Muhyiddin’s fall and was recently on the receiving end of a hammering in the Malacca polls. Meanwhile, ties with Umno remain frosty at best.

Dr Mahathir factor

Former Universiti Teknologi Malaysia academic Azmi Hassan said Bersatu has not found its mojo after ditching PH for PAS and Umno.

“Prior to this Bersatu was very much associated with Dr Mahathir, but it was not the same after he left the party. It could not find a new aura to replace Umno or PH.

“PAS alone is not enough,” the academic said, adding that Muhyiddin’s leadership is now in question after he decided not to defend his Gambir state seat in the upcoming Johor elections.

Ostensibly, Muhyiddin said he wanted to give way to a new face.

“Bersatu lost quite badly in Malacca and did not stand in the Sarawak state election. Now Muhyiddin has decided not to defend his Gambir seat in Johor.

“It gives off a negative perception. As the president, you are sending a wrong message to your members by not defending your seat,” Azmi said.

Johor Bersatu information chief Mohd Solihan Badri said Muhyiddin had requested that the leadership of the Ledang division, of which Gambir is a part, hand over a list of qualified candidates to him.

Muhyiddin said by not contesting in Johor, it would allow him to focus on more important issues at parliamentary and central levels, as well as handle party-related matters.

Bersatu’s mistake was leaving PH

Meanwhile, Sayuti Omar said Bersatu’s mistake was leaving PH in order to grab power on its own.

The political observer said there was no way back for Bersatu, if it decided to befriend PH again.

“Bersatu thought by leaving it could control Umno but it was wrong. Bersatu was strong in PH. As a new and small party it was given the top post but somehow that wasn’t enough.

“Yet it also couldn’t stay in power long after Umno hit back. From there, it never recovered. Bersatu is now hanging on to PAS but at the same time PAS is also depending on Bersatu.

“Will PKR, Amanah and DAP accept Bersatu again after what it did? I don’t think so. Bersatu is now floating like a boat after being hit by a hurricane,” Sayuti said.

In the Malacca elections, Bersatu won only two seats.

For Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi from Universiti Malaya, said Bersatu may need a new face to stay relevant in the upcoming Johor elections.

“The party cannot rely on Muhyiddin, as it did in Malacca.

“It is true that Bersatu is facing a trust deficit. Therefore, the party needs a fresh face or a new poster boy in Johor this time, which is very important, even more important than going to the general election.

“The problem for Bersatu is it seems like it has no answer to Umno’s attacks.

“It is in defensive mode. Before this, Bersatu was attacking Umno on various issues but not this time,” the senior academic said.

However, Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Bersatu should be given some time as every party will have its ups and downs.

“What it needs is a coalition. It is doing that with several parties other than PAS. I think at this juncture it is tough for Bersatu.

“However, every party has its ups and downs. Many years ago, PKR had one seat but now the party is a major force,” he said. – February 1, 2022.