This comes after FMT reported that a prominent Bersatu leader had been seen at Perdana Putra, believed to be trying to negotiate the “survival” of certain party leaders until the next Bersatu election.

A WhatsApp message subsequently began making the rounds, alleging that Hamzah was the Bersatu leader and that he was at the PMO to negotiate and “scout for (government) posts”.

Ahmad Ikhwan Fadhli, Hamzah’s private secretary, dismissed the WhatsApp message as slander and “amateur-level psychological warfare”.

“Someone else went to scout, but (Hamzah) gets the slander,” he said in a posting on X. “No class.”

A well-placed source had told FMT that the Bersatu leader who went to Perdana Putra had promised to deliver the support of more Bersatu MPs for the government.

So far, six MPs from Bersatu have declared such support while remaining members of the party. Their move sparked calls for amendments to the Bersatu constitution to prevent any further change in support.

A Bersatu MP also told FMT that some members were aware of the matter, although they did not know why the party leader was at the PMO.

The MP said this was another reason why many in Bersatu were losing trust in the party’s leadership.