Hamzah appointed on Pas's choice, not selected by Muhyiddin - Wan Ahmad Fayshal 

SHAH ALAM – The appointment of Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as Opposition Leader after the 15th General Election (GE15) was a decision made by Pas and not by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, as claimed by some quarters.

Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said the selection was the result of ijtihad (deliberation) by Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, as well as Hamzah’s loyalty (wala’) to the Marang MP.

“I can confirm that Muhyiddin himself was very surprised when Ayah Chik (Hadi) nominated Hamzah during a Perikatan Nasional (PN) Supreme Council meeting. I was present and witnessed the meeting, representing the PN Youth chief who could not attend.

“Similarly, the recent decision to retain the Opposition Leader position for the Larut MP was also made through consultation by the Pas leadership and its MPs,” he said in a statement on Facebook on Monday.

Earlier, Sungai Buloh Pas chief Zaharudin Muhammad described Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as being more suitable to serve as Opposition Leader compared with Hamzah, citing the need for coherence in PN’s strategic direction.

Meanwhile, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal stressed that Hamzah is among the most right-leaning and experienced PN MPs in the Dewan Rakyat and also one of the most experienced at the federal level, having previously served as a Cabinet minister.

As such, he regarded Zaharudin’s view as inaccurate.

“What Ustaz may not be aware of is that Hamzah’s relationship with the Pas leadership — particularly Ayah Chik, Dr Sam (Samsuri) and Datuk Taki (Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan) — is very strong, even closer than his relationship with Muhyiddin.

“This means Hamzah will not make any major decisions without the agreement of Pas, especially Ayah Chik and the PN leadership,” he said.

On the issue of the prime ministerial candidate raised by Zaharudin, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal said it would be best not to discuss the matter at this time.

He added that Abdul Hadi understands the internal and external considerations involved in nominating a leader from the Islamic movement for the post, including political realities in Sabah and Sarawak, the role of the palace and various international factors, all of which must be carefully considered before making any public statements.

“Simply put, we should follow Ayah Chik’s ijtihad, as he has a deep understanding of Malaysia’s domestic and international political landscape.

“We may have differing views, and that is everyone’s right. However, such views should be grounded in facts and reality, not mere speculation,” he said.