The Tamesis
April 27, 2026
Kuala Lumpur – Within the Perikatan Nasional structure, there is a possibility that a Trojan horse operation is being prepared for non-partisan Lalu MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin.
The plan aims to transform PN-affiliated parties into bespoke political vehicles for him, his 18 former and current Bersatu MPs and his grassroots supporters so that they all have a future in the opposition alliance.
The door for Hamza, who was sacked as Bersatu deputy president, is opening through Berjasa, who along with Pejuang has been admitted as an affiliate member (ahli Bersekutu) of Perikatan.
This is not the Belhasa of old. The party has undergone a strategic rebranding and constitutional shift to shed its image as a fringe Islamist organization. The party, formerly known as Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia, now styles itself as Parti Berjasa Malaysia. By opening membership to non-Muslims, Bersatu ensured that Hamza’s transition would not be seen as a “Malay exodus” but rather as an expanding nationalist front.
This shift provided Bersatu’s non-Muslim rebel MPs with an important legal home. These include suspended former Bersatu deputy presidents Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandi (MP for Beluran, Sabah) and Datuk Ali Biju (MP for Sarawak, Sarawak). By becoming a multi-ethnic vehicle, Bersatu allowed these non-Muslim Borneo politicians to become members of the party.
Berjasa has come a long way. It was founded in 1977 as a PAS splinter party founded by Datuk Mohamed Nasir during a leadership crisis in Kelantan. If it were elevated to a full component of PN, it would mark a historic return – a return to its roots aligned with PAS. The Peace Party, led by Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, is also expected to be admitted as a full member party of the National Alliance.
This will further consolidate a new power bloc that bypasses the Bersatu leadership. The power dynamics within the alliance have shifted decisively and are now firmly under the control of PAS. The chairman is PAS Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Sansuri Mokhtar, and the secretary-general is PAS Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
Bersatu and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin lost control of the alliance after its chairman was forced to resign as chairman earlier this year. In addition, the position of secretary-general is no longer held by a Muhyiddin loyalist, with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali replaced by Takiyuddin.
With 19 MPs (Hamza plus his 18 loyalists), the rejuvenated Bersatu will instantly become the second largest party in PN, dwarfing the hollow Bersatu (which has around 6 MPs).
In a standard Trojan horse move devised by Odysseus, you hide something in a gift to get it past a guarded gate.
In this case, the gate is PN, the tattered Bersatu can be seen as the guard, the gift is Bersatu’s political shell, and the hidden soldiers are Hamza and his army of MPs, MPs and supporters.
But in this case, I’m going to call it a reverse Trojan because Hamzah isn’t at the door trying to sneak in; He has entered the coalition structure as a pro-PN MP and has the support of PAS, which already controls the coalition.
The brilliance of Bersatu’s possible actions lies in its ability to deftly counter Bersatu. For Muhyiddin, staying in PN after relocating means acknowledging that archrival Hamza has successfully entered PN. Muhyiddin’s party will fall to third place in the coalition, behind PAS and Bersatu. Bersatu must also give up contested seats held by former and current Bersatu MPs who joined Bersatu.
If Bersatu’s reverse Trojan horse move were to occur, Bersatu and Muhyiddin would have to decide whether to stay in the opposition alliance. If the party left, Muiddin would have liked King Priam, who could only watch as his Troy was burned from within before being forced to give up the throne of the kingdom.
In the classics, the Trojan Horse is Odysseus’ “gift” that ends a decade-long stalemate. Hamza’s Operation Berjasa in 2026 had a similar purpose, breaking the deadlock between warring opposition factions.
But unlike the Greeks who sacked Troy and sailed away, “Odysseus” from Larut had no intention of leaving. If a reverse Trojan horse operation occurs and Hamza bypasses the guards (i.e. Bersatu) to get inside, he will just have to wait for the old leadership (PPB) to leave so that he can claim the keys to the kingdom.
In this opposite twist, the horse will not only end the war, but also bring a new king.
