Bersatu at a crossroads

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (centre) and secretary-general Azmin Ali (left) have dismissed calls for it to be dissolved after the sacking of then deputy president Hamzah Zainudin (right) led to mass defection from the party.PETALING JAYA: Bersatu must accept that it has weaknesses and take steps to address them to remain relevant in the Malaysian political landscape. Among others, this entails a leadership transition.But views on whether this will bring the party back from the brink remain divided. A political analyst says this can give the party a new lease of life but an academic believes the time has passed.Global Asia Consulting analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said there is no need to dissolve the party, but it has to admit that dignity alone will not ensure its survival.He was referring to Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali’s claims that the party “remains dignified” when dismissing calls for its dissolution recently.“The factors that will determine the party’s survival is its ability to adapt to the shifting political landscape, build a strong institution, and renew its leadership,” Zaharuddin told FMT.“The question is, does Bersatu still have the boldness to admit to its own weaknesses, before voters make that decision for them,” he added.He said Bersatu’s wipeout in the July 11 Johor polls was proof that just having prominent leaders in its ranks could not make up for its weak organisational structure and election machinery.These two factors, he added, are crucial for a political party’s success.He said another issue is that Bersatu remains dominated by its founding members, such as party president Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-presidents Ahmad Faizal Azumu and Radzi Jidin.“An organisation that fails to renew its leadership will lose the ability to adapt to change in the political environment.

A party that’s overly dependent on one leader will eventually deteriorate once that leader is on the decline.”Zaharuddin added that Bersatu’s identity has become unclear, pointing out that the party was formed as an alternative to Umno amid the 1MDB scandal.“The party needs the courage to conduct a massive ‘surgery’ on itself. There needs to be an openly planned leadership transition, and young leaders must be given room. Its machinery needs to be rebuilt, and there must be clarity in its identity so that it can step out of Umno and PAS’s shadow.…