The Tamesis
February 16, 2026
Kuala Lumpur – Bersatu chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin finally put down the scalpel and performed the radical political surgery he believed was necessary to preserve his party’s authority. His diagnosis to the party was absolute: a spreading malignancy known as “Team Hamza.”
For Muhyiddin, the faction is no longer just an opposition voice; This is a huge threat – a cancerous growth that has developed its own DNA and operates independently of the party’s central nervous system.
The logic behind the purge of Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and some of his core supporters is rooted in the most basic of oncology principles: If the cancer is not removed, it will eventually eat away at the host.
Muhyiddin insisted in a press statement issued yesterday that he acted in good faith to save Bersatu from a lawmaker who had allegedly undermined the party’s unity for years despite the president’s efforts to bridge differences. He expressed deep disappointment at the lack of appreciation for his leadership, noting that he initially recommended Hamza for the vice-presidential position even though he knew MP Lalu was against him.
“We worked hard to find common ground and save the party through a series of meetings and discussions with relevant parties before taking disciplinary action,” the Pagoh MP said.
“However, these efforts have not been successful. In fact, some people have continued to carry out acts of sabotage against the party with the aim of dividing the party and undermining its struggles and goals.”
On Friday, Bersatu’s disciplinary committee completed a “major operation” and fired 17 members with immediate effect. Those dismissed include Larut MP Hamzah, Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, Padang Lungas MP Kapten Azahari Hasan and Glick MP Fathul Huzir Ayob.
Previously, Muhyiddin had carried out several “minor surgeries”, first expelling Datuk Seri Wan Saifuddin Abdullah, MP for West Gelugor on October 14, and then deposing Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, MP for Indra Crown on January 6.
However, Muhyiddin executed the ultimate surgical paradox.
In a political sense, these congressmen and their followers are not just “cells”; They are the blood, muscle and bones of the party machine. This sweeping elimination of high-profile leaders could lead to fatal hemorrhage. In medicine, a successful operation is to remove the tumor, but in politics, if the body is too weak to function after the tumor is removed, the patient is effectively dead.
Here’s a treatment that might still kill Bersatu
Muhyiddin is betting on the remaining “healthy” parts of Bersatu to stabilize and regenerate, but he ignores the immediate systemic shock that will ensue. The danger remains, and Team Hamza has never been a superficial cyst that can be easily popped open. This is an intrusive growth that is integrated into the party’s vital institutions – grassroots units and parliamentary seats.
The party is not yet “cancer free” from this procedure. Yesterday, Bersatu deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandi named 19 Bersatu MPs (including those who were sacked) who expressed support for Hamza during the Bersatu rebel rally.
Let’s do the math: Bersatu has 31 MPs after the 15th general election in 2022; six became independent after supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; and there are now 19 MPs aligned with Hamza (including individuals who were sacked), which means Muhyiddin only has five MPs supporting him, six in total including himself.
The split in Bersatu is not a simple showdown between Muhyiddin and Hamsa. This is a long-running war of attrition between party secretary-general Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Hamzah.
This fault line was evident as early as the 2020 Sabah state election. At that time, Bersatu was in its heyday: Muhyiddin became prime minister, Hamza took charge of the interior ministry, and Azmin became senior minister (economic clusters) and international trade and industry minister. But even so, rumors of a slate contest between Azmin’s team and Hamza’s team are still rife as both seek to cultivate their own loyalists for the Sabah polls.
The shadow play then escalated into open conflict. Muhyiddin tried to broker peace by appointing Hamza as deputy chairman and Azmin as secretary-general, hoping the balance of power would stabilize the warring factions.
Instead, the move appears to be simply to provide a closer vantage point from which the “malignant cells” can attack. Hamza’s team ended up grabbing the president’s throat, trying to oust Muhyiddin from the top job and weaken his standing in PAS enough to force him to resign as PN chairman.
It was probably at this point that Muhyiddin decided he had to have a complete resection. Now, the question looms: Will Bersatu survive the surgery? Initial forecasts were bleak. With most of Bersatu’s remaining MPs reportedly aligned with Hamza, further sackings are inevitable and could leave Bersatu an empty shell.
Additionally, the “family” in the waiting room, especially the PAS, seemed to prefer the patient’s resection site rather than the surgeon. This was evident on Friday when Hamza shared a photo of himself and Hamza’s team having tea with PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang in Malan, Terengganu, hours after Hamza was deported.
As the dust settles in the operating room, it remains to be seen who will ultimately survive: the institutional wreckage of Bersatu or Team Hamza, who have begun looking for a new owner.
In many ways, the success of the surgery left Muhyiddin standing alone (along with Azmin’s team) in an empty operating theater as a surgeon. By removing the “cancer”, he also eliminated the party’s main link with its most powerful ally, PAS, and weakened the party’s presence in parliament. The sick may have no objections, but without the support of remaining MPs and grassroots institutions controlled by Hamza’s team, the president risks presiding over a skeleton party.
The image of Hamza sitting comfortably next to Hadi suggests that while the surgery was meant to salvage Bersatu’s identity, it may have instead hastened its irrelevance. If the removed “cells” are more viable than the remaining “body,” then Muhyiddin’s surgery is not a cure but a final, unintentional act of assisted suicide by the party he founded.
