Hamzah’s ‘Reset’ a boon for Pas and slow death for Bersatu?

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s “Reset” movement could reshape the balance of power within Perikatan Nasional by introducing a new variable into an already volatile landscape within the coalition, say analysts.

Professor James Chin of University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said the Pas leadership had reached a clear-eyed conclusion about Bersatu’s limitations.

“Pas thinks that only Hamzah can push back Umno in Umno-type seats,” he told the New Straits Times, referring to constituencies where Pas’ conservative Islamist identity capped its appeal.

He said for Pas, Hamzah and his group were simply more useful and the party was prepared to accommodate them at Bersatu’s expense.

Hamzah was opposition leader when he was sacked by Bersatu in February.

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) political scientist Associate Professor Dr Syaza Shukri said the more plausible near-term scenario was not a clean Pas-Bersatu rupture, but a triangular split, with votes divided between Bersatu and a Pas-backed Hamzah.

Despite the attention it has attracted, analysts cautioned against overstating the “Reset” movement’s strength.

IIUM Associate Professor Dr Lau Zhe Wei said: “Hamzah’s ‘Reset’, I wouldn’t say it is going to pose much threat to any main Malay political parties.”

He said Bersatu’s electoral performance had always depended heavily on borrowed votes — first from Pakatan Harapan and then from Pas.

Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub echoed the caution.

“Hamzah and his supporters are still unclear in their search for a new platform,” he said, warning that without a well-defined strategy, his movement risked hitting a dead end and being blocked by Bersatu.

However, he said, if Hamzah succeeded in consolidating grassroots support and articulated a fresher, more pragmatic narrative, Bersatu could face a formidable rival heading into the 16th General Election.

“If the contest is not resolved, Bersatu will look like a party that has lost its centre of gravity.”

Beyond the Hamzah challenge, analysts identified a deeper problem for Bersatu: a fundamental positioning dilemma that has left the party squeezed from every direction.

Analysts said if Bersatu went for a more conservative, more Islamic direction, Pas was already in that lane, but if they went for more Malay nationalism, they faced Umno, which was a more stable political party.

Chin added that Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin made a serious miscalculation by refusing to step down when the moment called for it, thereby provoking the split.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times