Hamzah has key role in PN's GE16 strategy, says PAS veep
PETALING JAYA : Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin can play a key role in formulating Perikatan Nasional's (PN) strategy for the 16th general election (GE16), says PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah.
Speaking to FMT, Amar said Hamzah's position as Bersatu deputy president and PN deputy chairman was enough for him to be entrusted with the responsibility, alongside other leaders.
He said strategic planning was not necessarily the job of the Bersatu president or PN chairman alone, as it was typically carried out as a team.
'Strategy is usually crafted as a team, not by any individual. So the issue of changing the (Bersatu) president doesn't arise,' he said.
Nevertheless, Amar said PAS did not wish to interfere in Bersatu's alleged internal rifts over whether Muhyiddin Yassin should remain as party president and PN chairman or be replaced by Hamzah.
Yesterday, FMT reported analyst Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia as saying that PAS had yet to clearly commit to either side.
Another analyst, Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia, said PAS appeared inclined to support Hamzah, although the party was being careful not to antagonise Muhyiddin and his allies.
Fauzi also said that a smooth leadership transition was crucial for Bersatu and PN's stability ahead of GE16, and would help prevent the concentration of power in a single individual or faction.
'What happens in Bersatu, in our view, doesn't affect the ties in PN. Our cooperation is based on party-to-party relations.
'Whoever is chosen by the party, we will respect,' said Amar, who is also the Kelantan state assembly speaker.
Meanwhile, PAS women's wing chief Nuridah Salleh expressed hope that the issue of Bersatu's leadership transition could be resolved.
'As part of a coalition that aspires to lead the country better, I hope and pray that all internal party issues can be resolved amicably and as soon as possible.
'Prolonged disputes will not benefit the party,' she said.
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