Kota Kinabalu: The leadership reshuffle within Perikatan Nasional (PN) has drawn criticism regarding the opposition coalition’s internal coherence and its capacity to present itself as a credible alternative government.
Pulai Member of Parliament Suhaizan Kaiat called on PN to clarify who actually holds decision-making authority within the coalition, saying the current arrangement had left the public confused about accountability.
Suhaizan pointed to the simultaneous prominence of three figures in key roles, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as Opposition Leader in Parliament, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as PN Chairman representing PAS and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin remaining as Bersatu President and widely regarded as the coalition’s dominant figure.
“A coalition that aspires to govern the country cannot have such an ambiguous leadership structure that the public themselves are unsure who makes decisions and who is accountable,” he said in a statement.
Suhaizan questioned whether Samsuri was genuinely leading the coalition or serving as a moderate public face while real authority remained elsewhere.
He also pressed PN to clarify the role of PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang in shaping the coalition’s direction.
He further criticised PN for failing to present concrete policy alternatives despite repeatedly attacking the government’s handling of the cost of living and national finances.
“The people deserve a serious opposition on the economy — not one preoccupied with quarrelling over power and positions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara Vice President Mahfuz Omar was equally pointed in his assessment, arguing that PAS assuming the PN chairmanship reflected the coalition’s weakening condition rather than renewed strength.
Mahfuz noted the significance of the timing, pointing out that the chairmanship had remained with Muhyiddin when PN was more organised and stable and only changed hands as Bersatu’s internal troubles deepened.
“Leadership born when an organisation is strong is a mandate. Leadership that emerges when an organisation is fractured is inheriting damage,” he said.
“If a football team is winning 3-0, everyone scrambles to be captain. But when they are losing 0-3, whoever takes the captain’s armband is not taking a victory — they are taking on a problem.”
Mahfuz challenged PAS’ track record in managing internal crises, pointing to the party’s loss of the Perlis state government, not through electoral defeat, he noted, but through its own internal conflict.
“How can they hope to save PN, as the PAS President aspires, when they failed to save even small Perlis?” he said.
He said that parliamentary seat count was not the true measure of political strength, contending that real strength lay in internal stability, organisational discipline and governing capacity.
“The people today are increasingly discerning. They do not judge who holds a position, but who is genuinely capable of uniting and leading under difficult circumstances,” Mahfuz said.
He pointed out that the chairmanship change not as a sign of PN’s resurgence but as an attempt to reorganise leadership atop a structure already in decay.
“Positions can change hands. But without stability and trust, a position is merely a title, not leadership,” he said.
