Former aide recounts events that led to ex-Malaysian PM Muhyiddin quitting as opposition PN chief

PETALING JAYA – Former Malaysian prime minister

Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation

as opposition bloc Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) chairman was driven by increasing pressure from Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) leaders and MPs, says his former aide.

Datuk Marzuki Mohamad, Muhyiddin’s former principal private secretary, said the pressure peaked on the evening of Dec 29, 2025, when several PAS MPs openly demanded Muhyiddin’s resignation during discussions in a WhatsApp group chat.

“In the WhatsApp group, there were calls from PAS MPs for Muhyiddin to step down as chairman,” Dr Marzuki wrote in a post on his Facebook page on Jan 12.

He noted that Muhyiddin, who is also the head of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and MP for the Pagoh parliamentary ward in Johor, indicated he was willing to step down.

However, Muhyiddin said the resignation has to be done in accordance with the coalition’s Constitution, which mandates that the appointment and resignation of the chairman be determined by the coalition’s supreme council.

Several PAS MPs were unsatisfied with this response, said Dr Marzuki, and continued to insist on an immediate resignation, bypassing the need for supreme council approval.

Eventually Muhyiddin notified the group that he would resign with effect from Jan 1, 2026.

Dr Marzuki stated that he was instructed shortly after midnight to prepare Muhyiddin’s resignation letter, to be sent to the presidents of the PN component parties the following day, along with a brief media statement.

PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari announced Muhyiddin’s resignation earlier.

At the time, Muhyiddin was in London undergoing follow-up medical treatment.

Dr Marzuki remarked that Muhyiddin’s decision to resign was a personal and rational choice, made after acknowledging the heavy burden he bore as PN chairman.

“Resigning was Muhyiddin’s right, and that right should be respected,” he emphasised.

He also questioned a provision in the PN Constitution that requires the chairman’s resignation to be approved by the supreme council, suggesting it denies the chairman the ability to step down voluntarily.

PN is the second-largest coalition with 67 seats in Parliament, just behind Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan bloc, which holds 79 seats.

Observers are taking a close interest in who will lead PN, as the next leader is likely to be the opposition coalition’s prime ministerial candidate should it win in Malaysia’s next general election, which has to be held by early 2028.

Looking ahead, Dr Marzuki stated that PAS is the most suitable party to lead the opposition coalition for stability, as it is currently the coalition’s strongest component party.

“If PAS leads PN, it will mark the first time in Malaysia’s political history that an Islamist party heads a national coalition,” he noted, describing this as a new political experiment that is bound to attract scrutiny and criticism.

“Whether this experiment succeeds or fails remains to be seen,” he added. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK