Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin is in good health and is actively leading the party, party secretary-general Azmin Ali has claimed.

Azmin said on Tuesday that he was communicating with his boss regularly, especially ahead of the party’s annual general assembly this weekend.

He said this in response to a Facebook post last week by former Selangor Bersatu secretary Hasnizam Adham that Muhyiddin had been hospitalized as he was reportedly not in good health.

It is not wrong to say that Azmin has, of late, suddenly became a ‘kaki bodek’ (sycophant) of Muyhiddin.

Azmin has been defending his party president every time there was a negative public mention of him.

Well, that is also not his job even if Azmin is the secretary-general of Bersatu.

Why didn’t the other senior party leaders also defend Muhyiddin when he came under public scrutiny?

To fully comprehend the Muhyiddin-Azmin relationship, we need to return to the Sheraton Move of 2020 where both men were the key strategists in causing the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan government.

At that time, many saw Azmin as an ambitious power broker who could leverage his alliance with Muhyiddin to strengthen his own position, perhaps even as a future prime ministerial contender.

Azmin was the traitor from PKR who backstabbed his colleagues, including current prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, and soon became the most vilified politician in the country at one time.

Fast forward to today, the dynamics are strikingly different.

Muhyiddin, though older and semi-retired from frontline politics, still commands influence as the elder statesman of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Azmin, on the other hand, has lost much of the clout he once wielded—his electoral setbacks, declining grassroots support, and a fading political brand have left him heavily reliant on Muhyiddin’s leadership and network to remain relevant.

So, what began as a partnership of near equals in 2020 has evolved into a relationship of dependency and survival.

Azmin’s fortunes are now tied to how long Muhyiddin can keep PN intact and strong.

This is the reality Azmin is fully aware of today. He needs Muhyiddin to survive and of course, he desperately wants Muhyiddin to be healthy for as long as he needs him to be.

Muhyiddin is weighed down by the legacy of how he came to power, the weaknesses of his administration and the public’s desire for renewal in leadership.

On the subject of Muhyiddin’s health, a Malaysiakini reader responded in a manner which I would describe as probably the ‘best reply’ of the week.

The reader commented in the news portal:

“Glad to hear that he is healthy.

“I don’t care whether it is healthy for him to lead Bersatu. It’s none of my business.

“However, it’s my opinion that it is NOT healthy for him to lead Malaysia.”

I agree 100 percent.

To be honest, I have not forgotten nor forgiven the traitors and backstabbers from Bersatu and PKR who hijacked a democratically elected government and formed a backdoor outfit which the majority of Malaysians did not recognize nor had respect for.

Today, I believe that many Malaysians still feel that Muhyiddin is not fit to return as prime minister, despite his seniority and experience.

The Sheraton Move left a lasting stigma and his association with “backdoor politics” has continued to undermine his credibility.

Muhyiddin’s short-lived premiership (2020–2021) was also marked by instability.

His PN government was constantly accused of buying support through ministerial posts and allocations, leading to an oversized Cabinet that drew criticism for inefficiency.

Moreover, his inability to command a strong parliamentary majority eventually forced his resignation, reinforcing the impression that he lacked the political skill to manage a fragile coalition.

The Covid-19 crisis under his leadership also remains a sore point.

While some Malaysians praised the early lockdowns, others remember the confusing policies, double standards in enforcement, and inconsistent communication that hurt public confidence.

The slow vaccine rollout in the early stages, alongside economic hardships faced by ordinary people, further tarnished his image as a capable leader.

Finally, many Malaysians view Muhyiddin as representing the old guard of politics—more of a caretaker figure than a reformer.

In an era where voters are demanding fresh leadership, accountability and institutional reforms, his return is seen as a step backward rather than progress.

In short, Muhyiddin is weighed down by the legacy of how he came to power, the weaknesses of his administration and the public’s desire for renewal in leadership.

Even if he remains influential within PN, a large segment of Malaysians believes his time as prime minister should remain in the past.

I join many Malaysians in saying a big NO to Muhyiddin’s return to power.

And yes, add in Azmin too.

(Francis Paul Siah is a veteran Sarawak editor and currently heads the Movement for Change Sarawak, MoCS. He can be reached at [email protected].)