KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must take responsibility for the crushing defeat of Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Sabah state election by stepping down as president of Bersatu and chairman of PN.
Johan Mohamad, the founder and former head of Bersatu Sarawak, said the leadership of PN should be handed over to PAS, with Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin replacing Muhyiddin as Bersatu president.
He explained that Muhyiddin’s supporters are now attempting to shift the blame from the Pagoh MP by constructing a narrative that pins the blame on Hamzah, who served as the party’s election director.
“Actually, Hamzah had an almost impossible role to play. In a situation where Muhyiddin had become stale and unappealing, Hamzah was forced to sell the ‘Abah’ brand to the voters,” Johan said in a statement today.
He added that while the ‘Abah’ image worked in the 2020 state election, it no longer had the same effect today.
“Back then, the voters were drawn to ‘Abah,’ but today it has become ‘Atok’—boring and outdated. Even the most renowned salesperson wouldn’t be able to sell stale food,” Johan quipped.
In the 17th Sabah state election, PN contested in 42 seats but only managed to win a single seat, Karambunai, through PAS’s Dr Aliakhbar Gulasan.
Johan also mentioned that Muhyiddin’s positioning as the Prime Ministerial candidate hurt PN’s message during the campaign.
“During the campaign, PN tried to garner votes by presenting their candidates as fresh faces and young people. However, voters saw this message as contradictory because the ‘poster boy’ of PN, Muhyiddin, is an elderly figure,” he added.
He noted that under Muhyiddin’s leadership, Bersatu saw a dramatic decline, from 11 seats in the 2020 state election to now holding none—marking not just disappointment, but a complete collapse.
Johan emphasized that Muhyiddin must accept the reality that his influence has faded, and he no longer holds the power to lead.
“Muhyiddin must take responsibility by stepping down as president of Bersatu and chairman of PN. Otherwise, Bersatu and PN will continue to decline,” he said.
“The only silver lining for PN was PAS’s victory in Karambunai. This win shows that the multi-ethnic electorate is now open to PAS as a leader,” Johan concluded. – November 30, 2025