DAP Youth chief: Bersatu should be renamed ‘Berpecah’

OPINION | DAP Youth chief: Bersatu should be renamed ‘Berpecah’


16 Oct 2025 • 7:30 AM MYT


TheRealNehruism
Writer. Seeker. Teacher

Image credit : Facebook pic / Utusan


Bersatu might be having an internal crisis that threatens the very foundation of its existence — but that is not necessarily bad news for everyone.


For Bersatu’s rivals, it is an occasion for laughter and celebration. DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong, for instance, could not resist taking a jab at the party after news broke that Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan had been expelled. With cutting humour, Woo suggested that Bersatu, which literally means “United,” should now be renamed “Berpecah” — meaning “Divided.”


Woo went further, questioning whether a party so riddled with internal discord could be trusted to lead the country. “Amid the grapple within PN to become its prime ministerial candidate, Bersatu has now become Berpecah. Can such a party be entrusted with leading the country?” he asked pointedly.


He also threw in a word of advice — or perhaps a warning — to MCA and MIC, both of which are said to be exploring the idea of joining Perikatan Nasional (PN). Woo quipped that they should “pull the handbrake” on any such plans, and remain in the current government coalition for the sake of their “positions and ranks.”


Woo’s comments came after Bersatu expelled Wan Saiful and four division chiefs for violating the party’s constitution and code of conduct. Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, meanwhile, was suspended until after the next Bersatu election in 2027.


The disciplinary action is believed to be linked to a “statutory declaration movement” allegedly aimed at toppling Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, as well as a recent commotion during an official party event.


Bersatu;s crisis appear self-inflicted — driven not by outside enemies, but by internal distrust and ego clashes.


Just days before his expulsion, Wan Saiful had launched a scathing attack on Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali, questioning his moral fitness to lead the party while an old scandal involving a leaked explicit video remains unresolved. He further accused Azmin of intimidating division leaders suspected of plotting against Muhyiddin.


The fallout was immediate. Many within the party called for Wan Saiful’s sacking. But instead of backing down, Wan Saiful doubled down. Speaking after his disciplinary hearing, he threatened to expose party leaders who, according to him, had been secretly liaising with political rivals and even receiving “millions” from them.


“We know who received millions from them. But we haven’t exposed them so far. So don’t push too hard,” he warned, according to Malaysiakini.


He also claimed he had been approached with offers to defect, but refused out of “love for Bersatu,” saying he had submitted evidence — including video and audio recordings, photographs, and phone numbers — to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee.


“If I were to accept any offer from that individual, I would have done that last year,” he said.


Meanwhile, Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, who was suspended, questioned the integrity of the party’s disciplinary board, pointing out that its chairman, Radzi Abdul Manan, is the father-in-law of vice-president Ahmad Faizal Azumu and the father of another Supreme Council member.


“I’m not running away,” he said. “I’m only asking for the proceedings to be postponed so that the disciplinary board can be reorganised. I’m prepared to defend myself, but it should be before a panel that is not biased.”


If these accounts are true, Bersatu’s internal rot runs deeper than just factional politics. It reveals a party struggling not only with loyalty and discipline, but also with fairness and integrity — the very principles it once claimed to embody when it broke away from UMNO.


Adding salt to the wound, Penang PKR Youth chief Zakwan Mustafa Kamal urged Wan Saiful to resign as Tasek Gelugor MP, arguing that anyone sacked for disciplinary or credibility issues no longer deserved to serve as a Member of Parliament. Zakwan also reminded the public that Wan Saiful is still facing corruption and money laundering charges linked to the Jana Wibawa project.


“The people of Tasek Gelugor deserve an MP who is clean, has integrity, and is focussed on championing the people’s interests. The most honourable thing Wan Saiful can do is to vacate his seat and make way for a by-election,” Zakwan said.