THE issue of party members leaving is being hyped up by rivals ahead of the next general election and has no impact on Bersatu, its leaders said.

They also said this was not a threat to Bersatu as party grassroots continued to ramp up work on the ground ahead of the 15th general election.

Bersatu supreme council member Dr Muhammad Faiz Naaman told The Malaysian Insight incidents of members leaving the party was not unique.

“The reasons given are quite typical. Those who leave the party have more or less the same reasons, such as weak leaders, disagreements (with the party), a party that is seemingly directionless.

“That’s the reason for anyone who changes parties. Their reasons are not very unique.

“This is one of the signs that the election is near and there is a lot of propaganda like this. It will happen more and more, not only to Bersatu but also to other parties,” he said.

Faiz was referring to a report that a group of 700 Bersatu members from the Dusun Tua area had left the party on August 26 and joined Pejuang, the party founded by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The party was established by Dr Mahathir after he was kicked out of Bersatu due to the party’s actions in collaboration with Umno and PAS to take over Putrajaya in 2020.

Faiz said Bersatu was not affected by the development but believed the members leaving got the attention of party leaders.

“These incidents will always happen and will continue to happen. It is not something strange, it does not affect the entire membership of the Bersatu party leadership.

“I’m not sure of their reasons, what the actual situation is, (the matter) was not brought up for discussion with the top leadership but I believe it got (their) attention.”

He said the departures only reinforced its desire to ramp up work on the ground with its Perikatan Nasional (PN) allies.

The PN convention on August 27 concluded that their election machinery should be ready in all areas to ensure that the coalition is able to achieve victory in the next federal polls.

“After the convention there was an injection of enthusiasm and it’s gradually getting more aggressive.

“We think election is near, more or less at the end of this year,” he said.

He added that top leaders such as Bersatu chairman Muhyiddin Yassin are also active on the ground and his vibrancy can also be seen on social media.

Faiz said Bersatu, which now has more than 700,000 members, is cooperating and strengthening its position with PAS, especially in states controlled by the Islamist party.

“PN is everywhere. In Malay-majority states the combination of PAS and Bersatu is quite strong. Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah – these are states where the majority of Malays are Muslims,” he said.

In addition to Bersatu and PAS, PN is also made up of Gerakan, Sabah Progressive Party and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku.

Selangor PN Secretary Hilman Idham said the 15 resolutions at the convention will help work at the grassroots level and facilitate the coalition’s election machinery.

The Gombak Setia assemblyman said the work of the machinery focuses on strengthening unity in the coalition.

“The resolutions have urged PN to set up election machineries at parliamentary, state and district levels is very helpful, especially for our grassroots work,” he said.

Hilman also believes that the members leaving the party was triggered by the imminent general election.

“But it’s common when someone leaves the party or joins the party. This is the norm in the face of an election.

“The important thing is that we focus on making sure that our work runs smoothly, if well-organised and does not bring an agenda of division but instead (promotion) of the unity of the ummah,” said Hilman. – September 18, 2022.