FORMER Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has questioned whether Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has the authority to bar him from joining Perikatan Nasional, as he moves forward with his new political party.
The Larut MP said Muhyiddin’s recent remarks, suggesting he could block Hamzah from joining the coalition, gave the impression that the Bersatu president wielded sole control over the matter.
“He said I cannot be a member of PN. Who is he to decide? I want to ask him, if I can become a member of PN, will he resign? If he says he will resign, I will try my best to become a member of PN so that he can step down,” Hamzah told Sinar Harian after attending a Moreh Perdana event and the launch of the Negeri Sembilan ‘Gempur Rasuah’ programme organised by Bersatu’s Port Dickson division.
Muhyiddin had earlier indicated he would reject any cooperation between PN and Hamzah’s emerging political platform, citing caution following what he described as a past betrayal.
Hamzah, who currently serves as Opposition Leader, is set to lead Parti Keluarga Malaysia after being expelled from Bersatu last month.
He noted he had not anticipated strong backing from many Bersatu leaders, including 118 division chiefs, following his expulsion.
“This development indirectly shows that the party is losing the support of its grassroots leadership. I was informed that more than 60 divisions have already been dissolved. If I were the president, even if I were the party’s founder, but so many people had left, that would show the party no longer has the support of its division leaders,” he said.
Hamzah suggested that Muhyiddin could follow the example of Umno founder Datuk Onn Ja’afar, who stepped down as president after observing that many party leaders no longer shared his vision.
On the formal establishment of his new party, Hamzah said he is still awaiting the outcome of an appeal to register Parti Keluarga Malaysia with the Registrar of Societies.
The registration process had stalled previously due to several administrative issues, which have now been resolved, including all required payments.
“It’s not that it failed, but when the time came there were certain matters that caused the party not to proceed then.
“They have since filed an appeal. They also showed me that all payments have been made, so now we just wait for the outcome of the appeal,” he told Utusan Malaysia after the Moreh Perdana event.
Hamzah acknowledged he was unsure how long the appeal process might take. “I also don’t know when the approval will come. If we are good people, we just wait and be patient,” he said.
Earlier reports indicated that Hamzah had confirmed his intention to assume leadership of Parti Keluarga Malaysia, following discussions with the party’s founder Khairi Jaya and Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
Previously, ROS director-general Datuk Mohd Zulfikar Ahmad had stated that the party’s 2022 registration attempt was rejected and that no new application had yet been received. - March 7, 2026
