TASEK Gelugor Member of Parliament Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan has questioned whether Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin attempted to “conceal” a letter sent by PAS after the Bersatu president announced his resignation as Perikatan Nasional chairman.
Wan Saiful suggested the move may have been intended to give Muhyiddin’s supporters time to lobby Perikatan Nasional component parties to reject the Pagoh MP’s resignation.
The former Bersatu Supreme Council member claimed the letter from PAS was sent to Muhyiddin to express appreciation for his service as PN chairman, adding that its contents appeared to signal acceptance of the resignation.
“This letter can, in principle, be understood as PAS’s acceptance of Muhyiddin’s resignation as Perikatan Nasional chairman.
“Is it possible that die-hard supporters around Muhyiddin advised that the letter be temporarily withheld to give them room to lobby PN component parties to reject Muhyiddin’s resignation?” he said in a statement today.
Muhyiddin had previously announced that he would step down as Perikatan Nasional chairman with effect from Jan 1, after five years leading the coalition.
Following the announcement, speculation intensified over who might take over the leadership of PN, with names such as PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Moktar being mentioned.
Wan Saiful also questioned whether Muhyiddin should chair the upcoming PN Supreme Council meeting, which is expected to be pivotal for the future direction of the opposition bloc.
The former Bersatu information chief raised doubts over the validity of any Supreme Council meeting convened to confirm the chairman’s resignation if it were chaired by Muhyiddin himself, noting that this could amount to a conflict of interest.
“The PN Supreme Council is expected to meet in the near future. Without doubt, the main agenda will be the issue of Muhyiddin’s successor following his announcement that he intends to step down effective Jan 1.
“Therefore, confirming the chairman’s resignation should be the first item on the agenda of the upcoming Supreme Council meeting, which raises the question of whether Muhyiddin can properly attend and chair that meeting.
“In fact, the Supreme Council can appoint one of the deputy chairmen to preside over the discussion,” said Wan Saiful, who was expelled from Bersatu in October.
He further argued that Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin should not attend the meeting, as both had already resigned as PN secretary-general and PN information chief respectively.
According to Wan Saiful, resignations other than that of the PN chairman do not require Supreme Council confirmation and take effect from the agreed resignation date.
“If Muhyiddin still wishes to attend the Supreme Council meeting, once his resignation is confirmed, he must leave the meeting before it proceeds to the second agenda item.
“It would be better for the deputy secretary-general to issue the meeting notice without inviting Mohamed Azmin and Radzi,” he said.
Wan Saiful also urged the Registrar of Societies to ensure that the meeting fully complies with established procedures.
“They are desperate for Muhyiddin to remain. Therefore, today I sent an official letter to the Registrar of Societies director-general, Datuk Mohd Zulfikar Ahmad, to ensure that the meeting adheres strictly to proper procedures,” he said. - January 10, 2026
