KUALA LUMPUR: Spiralling tensions between warring factions in the opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) could undermine its pick of party chief Muhyiddin Yassin as candidate for prime minister ahead of Malaysia’s next general election, analysts say.

The public display of dissent against Muhyiddin at Bersatu’s annual general meeting on Saturday (Sep 6) shows growing momentum in calls for him to step down, the analysts add, warning that he could be quietly forced out with sufficient support from division heads.

The internal unrest could also be exploited by Bersatu’s opponents in the federal government, and even by its own coalition partner Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) to assert more control in the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact ahead of the next general election due by 2028, the experts also say.

Once simmering under the surface, the tensions within Bersatu played out in the open on Saturday as Muhyiddin revealed some were collecting signatures to topple him as president, a move he criticised as unconstitutional in the party.

Some delegates then heckled Muhyiddin with calls for him to step down. Muhyiddin’s supporters responded with their own calls for the chief to stay on. The commotion - which happened as Muhyiddin was delivering his keynote speech - culminated in a brief scuffle that police are now investigating.

A Bersatu vice-president has played down the tensions, claiming that Saturday’s incident was caused by “excited” delegates and was “resolved well”.

“All (party) leaders acknowledged there are no divisions in their ranks,” Ahmad Faizal Azumu told CNA.

But Syaza Shukri, from the International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM) department of political science, said the events at the annual general meeting were “definitely not a good sign” for Muhyiddin.

“The fact that it happened so publicly with media around shows that frustration may have reached a peak against Muhyiddin’s leadership and the absence of a clear way to get an alternative leader,” she told CNA.

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