“Muhyiddin has lost it, and he can’t deliver”: Saifuddin Abdullah blasts Bersatu leadership

“Muhyiddin has lost it, and he can’t deliver”: Saifuddin Abdullah blasts Bersatu leadership


The party risks losing direction if urgent reforms are not implemented, warns former minister



Sandru Narayanan
Updated 3 hours ago
11 January, 2026
8:35 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah has delivered a scathing critique of Bersatu’s leadership, declaring that Tan Sri Muhyiddin has “lost it”, and warning that the party risks losing direction if urgent reforms are not implemented.

Speaking in the Trick Lama podcast hosted by Terence Fernandez, editor-in-chief of Big Boom Media Group, which publishes Scoop, and co-hosted by group chief executive Datuk Zainul Arifin and group executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan, also known as Rocky Bru, the Indera Mahkota MP, painted a stark picture of the challenges facing Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu’s internal leadership crisis.

“He was a very good prime minister, which I will defend, and I will also defend his legacy. But to lead Bersatu today, we need someone else, as he has lost it. This is not about anything personal, but the party requires leadership that can lay down policies and provide a vision for the future,” Saifuddin said.

He pointed to the lack of clear policy direction under Muhyiddin as a central problem.

“If we want to win the next election, we have to provide the most appropriate offer. But it’s not just about winning the election; we want to form a government better than today’s government. The economic problems, social policies, all these need a clear direction. Unfortunately, Tan Sri has not presented these ideas,” he added.

Saifuddin also revealed details about Bersatu’s succession planning, noting that discussions about handing over the party to Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had taken place long before Muhyiddin’s current tenure as party president.

“There was a discussion during the early party retreat. I suggested that for the upcoming election, the competition for president should be open, and the best candidate should win. Muhyiddin eventually agreed to a succession plan, naming Hamzah as a potential successor,” he said.

He criticised what he described as Bersatu’s growing autocratic tendencies, highlighting how internal decision-making and handling of dissent have undermined party unity.

“Before the latest annual general meeting (AGM), there was no element that made you say the party was dictatorial. But after the events, the word ‘dictatorial’ or ‘autocratic’ came to mind. The incidents before, during, and after the latest AGM show that the party has become more centralised in decision-making,” Saifuddin said.

The former communications minister stressed that resolving the leadership question is crucial for the party’s future.

“If the presidency is not resolved, perhaps the unity of Bersatu will be at risk. One person holding everything can cause instability. The party needs strong leadership and a clear succession plan,” he said.

Saifuddin was officially dismissed from Bersatu on January 6, after the Discipline Institute found him guilty of breaching the party’s constitution and code of ethics.

He was among seven senior party members expelled in recent months, including Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and Wan Saiful Wan Jan, amid growing tensions over the party’s leadership and direction under Muhyiddin. – January 10, 2026