Hadi acting like PN’s supreme leader, says Muhyiddin’s ex-aide

PETALING JAYA: A former aide to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has accused PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang of behaving like the “supreme leader” of Perikatan Nasional, following the announcement of Hamzah Zainudin’s reappointment as opposition leader yesterday.

Marzuki Mohamad claimed that Hamzah’s reappointment, as well as the decision to allow his new party, Parti Wawasan Negara, to use the Perikatan Nasional logo in the coming state elections, were not discussed in a PN Supreme Council meeting.

He said Hamzah’s appointment as opposition leader contradicted the Supreme Council’s earlier decision on May 16 to appoint PAS vice-president and PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar to the post.

“Today, in front of thousands of PAS members celebrating Hamzah, Samsuri was ‘sacked’ as opposition leader even before beginning his duties. This is what the PAS president is like as the ‘supreme leader’.

“If PN forms the government, reporters will no longer have to wait at Putrajaya on Wednesday to find out Cabinet decisions. They will just have to wait at Rusila on Friday,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Hadi announced the Larut MP’s return as opposition leader at the Reset convention in Tanah Merah, Kelantan earlier today, just two months after Hamzah relinquished the post.

Hadi said PAS had sought the views of its MPs as well as MPs aligned with Hamzah, including 13 who remain in Bersatu.

He said PAS had also decided to retain Samsuri as the PN chairman. Samsuri took over the PN chairmanship in February after Muhyiddin stepped down from the post.

Hadi’s announcement came after PAS ended its political cooperation with Bersatu on Monday, although both parties remain components of PN.

Marzuki also said that although Hadi is not a PN Supreme Council member, he seemed to wield great influence over the coalition’s decisions.

“The PAS president is not a member of the Supreme Council, but is ‘empowered’ to decide for PN. I believe the PN Supreme Council will endorse his decisions.

“It is impossible that the PN chairman will not include Hamzah’s appointment and Wawasan’s use of the PN logo in the next Supreme Council meeting,” he said, adding that Samsuri’s position as vice-president also appeared to depend on Hadi’s approval.