Redzuan dismissed suggestions that the former prime minister’s decision was prompted by the recent political turmoil in Perlis, insisting instead that Muhyiddin had long been working according to a “broader plan”.
“By stepping down as PN chairman, Muhyiddin prevented the Perlis crisis from becoming a national issue. At the same time, he has neutralised attempts by ‘mutineers’ attempting to unseat him as Bersatu president.
“And he did all this with a stroke of a pen,” the former entrepreneur development minister and special functions minister told FMT.
Redzuan also rejected insinuations by certain quarters in PAS, including the party’s information and youth chiefs, that Muhyiddin’s resignation was a gamble made without carefully understanding its impact on the rakyat’s support for PN.
Instead, he said the resignation has allowed Muhyiddin to channel his energy towards strengthening Bersatu.
“By resigning, he has shifted the burden of leading PN entirely onto the PAS leadership,” he added.
Redzuan, who was Alor Gajah MP from 2018 to 2022, said the task of winning over non-Malay voters in the next general election has now fallen squarely on PAS’s shoulders.
“If it fails, PAS and PN will be consigned to serve as opposition for another term,” he said.
“PAS has declared itself ready to shoulder the responsibility but with no successor named to lead PN, its ability to convince the non-Malay electorate to cross over and support PN is questionable,” he said.
Redzuan’s comments echoed concerns raised by Urimai’s P Ramasamy, who argued that without figures like Muhyiddin and Azmin Ali, who also stepped down as PN secretary-general, the coalition would struggle to build ties with non-Malay voters.
Ramasamy said non-Malays perceive PAS as extremists, and would only be comfortable with the presence of “moderate” leaders in the opposition coalition.
Redzuan said the political fallout in Perlis has exposed internal rifts within PN that PAS must now manage without Muhyiddin’s “steadying hand”.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin, whose resignation took effect on Jan 1, defended his decision to relinquish the PN chairmanship.
In his New Year message to party members, the former prime minister said he remained firmly in charge of Bersatu and was focused on ensuring party members close ranks and strengthen cooperation.
He also vowed that Bersatu will remain a loyal partner in PN.