KUALA LUMPUR – Eight Sabah Bersatu division leaders have come to the defence of party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin amid calls for him to step down following Bersatu’s crushing defeat in the Sabah state election.
In a joint statement today, the division leaders claimed that Bersatu deputy president and election director Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as well as Sabah party chief Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee should instead take full responsibility for the party’s poor performance.
The group dismissed Sabah Bersatu secretary Yunus Nurdin’s demand for Muhyiddin to resign as party president and Perikatan Nasional chairman, saying it did not reflect their views.
“The Sabah PN chief (Kiandee) and election director (Hamzah) are the ones who were responsible for every preparation, strategy and decision for the state election campaign. Therefore, the pair should hold a post-mortem and table their findings to the Bersatu Supreme Council and answer any issue raised,” the statement read.
“The ones who managed the election campaign should answer to the grassroots instead of passing the blame to other parties who were not directly involved in managing the campaign.”
The statement was signed by Lahad Datu Bersatu chief Ahmad Ali Akbar Khan Gulan, Jupri Omar (Kota Belud), Faizal Julaili (Papar), Ekbal Khalid (Kalabakan), Abidin Sahat (Ranau), Amat Yusof (Kimanis), Mazmin Mazin (Kinabatangan) and Ramli AG Said (Sipitang).
Yesterday, Yunus criticised Muhyiddin for Bersatu and PN’s dismal showing in the polls, where only PAS’s Aliakbar Gulasan secured a win in Karambunai despite the coalition fielding 42 candidates.
He accused the former prime minister of failing to address internal rifts within Bersatu in the months leading up to the election, claiming this eroded voter confidence.
The eight division leaders also alleged that Yunus had called all division chiefs and candidates to the state headquarters to hand over a post-mortem report, during which they were asked to sign a petition urging Muhyiddin to quit.
They reiterated that they rejected the move, insisting that Muhyiddin should not be blamed for Bersatu’s wipeout in Sabah. – December 4, 2025