Bersatu associate wing vice-chief R Sri Sanjeevan said his party already made a decision on the matter and sent an official letter to PAS, as the party leading PN, but the Islamic party was staying silent.
He said a new opposition leader must be named because Hamzah had already been dismissed from Bersatu, criticising PAS for failing to respond swiftly.
“PAS is still silent, still delaying. Still pretending as if nothing has happened. This is no longer about procedure. This is about dignity and honesty within the coalition.
“If the decisions of partners aren’t respected, what’s the purpose of this coalition? Or is PAS looking after its own political interests instead of preserving our alliance?” he said in a statement.
Sanjeevan also questioned if PAS feared leading the opposition bloc having clamoured for the PN chairman’s post, which is now held by the Islamic party’s vice-president, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
“Is there such a shortage of leaders (in PAS) that it has to depend on someone who has already been dismissed (from a PN component)?
“They wanted to be PN chairman but are they now afraid of being opposition leader? If you dare to hold a senior position, then you must dare to shoulder the responsibility,” he said.
Earlier, PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said Hamzah would continue leading the opposition in the Dewan Rakyat despite being sacked from Bersatu on Feb 13.
He also said seating arrangements in the Dewan Rakyat would remain unchanged for now, despite several other Bersatu MPs being sacked alongside Hamzah.
Takiyuddin, the PAS secretary-general, added that PN was unlikely to name a new opposition leader for this parliamentary meeting, since there are only two days of sittings left.
Earlier, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said Hamzah should be considered an independent MP and not part of the opposition bloc.
He also said Hamzah and his allies should be seen as enemies of Bersatu, and thereby enemies of PN.
Hamzah was sacked from Bersatu on Feb 13 at the height of a leadership tussle with party president Muhyiddin Yassin. He was Bersatu deputy president.