'Revelation' politics likely to create division within Bersatu Armada

SHAH ALAM - The practice of 'revelation (wahyu) politics' by some former leaders of the Armada wing of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) risks creating divisions among party members if no reconciliation steps are taken after the party election process.

Bersatu Youth (Armada) Committee candidate Mohamad Shafiq Abdul Halim said that the Bersatu wing election was considered different from previous terms.

He added that this was due to the presence of two schools of thought among the current delegates.

He said that there was an intense competition between two camps for the Bersatu Armada chief position, between Bersatu Armada permanent chairman Akmal Zahin Zainal Zahir and Gombak Setia assemblyman Muhammad Hilman Idham.

This division was due to former Armada chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal 'announcing' Akmal Zahin as his successor in advance.

"As a result, a significant number of leaders, delegates, and Armada members are uncomfortable with Wan Ahmad Fayhsal's actions, viewing it as 'revelation politics.'

"They feel that this party election should not be bound by the 'revelation' political agenda. Instead, they demand the freedom to choose new leadership based on healthy democratic practices," he told Sinar Premium on Monday.

He said this in response to a statement by Bersatu’s election committee chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi who confirmed that the results for the Armada wing election would be announced slightly later than other wing elections due to complaints and objections from the candidates.

Previously, Akmal Zahin was said to have unofficially won the wing's chief position over Muhammad Hilman.

However, there were allegations that the Gombak Setia assemblyman’s camp had 'won' the tight competition.

Current results released by Bersatu’s Armada vote tally centre showed that Akmal Zahin received 2,432 votes, a margin of only 76 votes over Hilman, who received 2,356 votes.

Mohamad Shafiq

Shafiq further revealed that the competition between Akmal Zahin’s camp, considered a 'proxy' for Wan Ahmad Fayhsal and Muhammad Hilman's camp symbolises a rivalry between the Bersatu leadership group (Ansar) and the Bersatu members who migrated from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Umno (Muhajirin).

Therefore, he acknowledged that some campaigned unhealthily to further strain relations between leaders of both camps.

"For this reason, if this dispute is not managed well, I fear it could lead to a major party split, which may also impact the election of the Central Committee.

"This is because the Armada leadership is a key determinant of Bersatu's future direction.

"Some have even claimed that Muhammad Hilman's presence in Armada could be a hindrance to Wan Ahmad Fayhsal's political progress... Campaigns like this should not happen," he added.