KUALA LUMPUR — Expelled Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin branded former leader Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin his “No. 1 enemy” on Saturday, vowing to forge ahead independently after his ouster from the opposition party.
At the Reset event organized by Bersatu vice-president Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee and backed by members from multiple divisions, the Larut MP reaffirmed his parliamentary opposition leader role. “I will not appeal… I am now a free man,” Hamzah declared, rejecting party orders he once followed reluctantly and bidding “farewell, Bersatu” since it no longer wanted him.
Viewing the dismissal as a “blessing in disguise,” Hamzah claimed support from 19 of Bersatu’s 25 MPs, insisting opposition MPs, not the party, select their leader within the Perikatan Nasional coalition. Flanked by supporters displaying division placards, he rallied backing for his “new struggle for the nation” without directing anyone to quit Bersatu, staying coy on potential moves to UMNO, PAS, or a new formation.
Kiandee criticized Muhyiddin’s leadership against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s precedent of stepping aside, asserting control of 118 out of 168 active Bersatu divisions. The gathering followed the party’s February 13 disciplinary notices expelling Hamzah and 16 others for alleged breaches.