From Perlis to Perikatan Nasional, how an ouster in M'sia's smallest state led to the resignation of a former PM

The former Prime Minister of Malaysia and chairman of opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN), Muhyiddin Yassin, announced on Dec. 30 that he will step down as leader of the coalition.

Muhyiddin, who for the moment remains the party president of PN component party Bersatu, announced the shock move as tensions between his party and PN partner Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) continue to build.

Dominoes

Muhyiddin appears to have resigned as the most prominent domino in a chain of events that began very slowly in 2022 with PN winning all but one seat in Perlis state elections, and accelerated very quickly in the past 10 days.

Tensions between the two main parties of the PN coalition broke out into the open over the holiday period over political machinations in Malaysia’s smallest state, Perlis.

The state’s assembly, which has been traditionally governed by the Barisan Nasional coalition with UMNO at its helm, fell for the first time since Malaya’s independence to an opposition coalition.

BN lost all 10 of its seats in the 2022 local elections, nine from UMNO and one from the Malaysian Chinese Association.

Replacing it were nine PAS and five Bersatu state assemblymen, joined by a sole assemblyman from the federal government’s Pakatan Harapan coalition, for a total of 15 state assembly seats.

This gave PN a dominant position in the state, with near total control, and nominated Shukri Ramli from PAS to be the state’s Menteri Besar.

Palace coup

On Dec. 22, while Shukri had been warded in hospital for medical complications after a foreign trip to China, eight state assemblymen, three from PAS and all five Bersatu members, withdrew their support of him, according to MalaysiaKini.

Shukri, according to MalaysiaKini, was already an unsettled figure, with rumours of infighting and palace coups emanating from as far back as 2023.

The eight legislators were enough to constitute a simple majority in the assembly, and quickly, dominoes began to fall.

Critically, the three PAS had withdrawn their support without seeking the approval of PAS central leadership. It is currently unknown if the Bersatu members had prior approval, a situation that would eventually cause consternation.

On Dec. 24, PAS president Hadi Awang announced that the three PAS assemblymen's party memberships had been terminated, eventually leading Perlis’ state assembly speaker to call for by-elections for all three seats.

By Dec. 25, Shukri announced that he would step down as MB, citing health reasons, although he said he would retain his seat.

On Dec. 29, a new Perlis MB was appointed, Abu Bakar Hamzah, one of the assemblymen who had ousted the previous MB.

"Treachery"

In the days between one MB’s resignation and his successor being appointed, venom swirled amongst the PN coalition.

Accusations of “betrayal” at the hands of Bersatu emanated from PAS groups, with the Malay Mail quoting a PAS Youth Wing leader as calling on PAS central leadership to cut ties with Bersatu.

Mohamad Ikhwan Afiq Mohamad Anwar, head of the PAS Tasek Gelugor Youth Wing, called Bersatu’s moves “treacherous and backstabbing”, and advocated for PAS “reclaiming” all of Bersatu’s parliamentary and state legislature seats.

The New Straits Times reported that PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang, had said that “certain parties had been demanding positions”, and that former MB Shukri had been pressured to approve projects without complying with regulations, implying bribery and corruption.

MalaysiaKini reported that PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Azamudden effectively called for PAS to take over PN and for Muhyiddin’s ouster in turn.

In a Facebook post, he obliquely said that “A friend who cannot control their subordinates is a weak friend. A friend who topples their friends is a treacherous friend,” and then called for Abdul Hadi to become PN chairperson.

Full support

On Dec. 30, Muhyiddin announced that he would step down as PN Chairperson, effective Jan. 1.

In a statement released on social media, Muhyiddin thanked PN leadership for having given him “their full support” since he first became PN leader.

Muhyiddin has led PN since February 2020, when he led Bersatu out of the governing Pakatan Harapan government, leading to its collapse in the infamous “Sheraton Move”.

He has also been facing internal party troubles in recent months, as seen in September 2025, when a raucous party conference saw rumours of a party coup against him.

PN’s Secretary-General Azmin Ali, a former close ally of incumbent PM Anwar Ibrahim, said that he too would resign, as his role’s appointment fell under Muhyiddin’s purview as chairperson.

Dragged down

Muhammad Izmer Yusof, a political analyst at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, spoke to Sinchew, citing that internal party conflict at Bersatu as a cause of worsening relations with PAS.

He also suggested that PAS might take advantage of the situation to cut ties with Bersatu, saying that PAS, which is the largest single party in Malaysia’s parliament, increasingly views Bersatu as the weaker coalition partner.

He cited “sacrifices” made in Bersatu’s favour, such as giving it the leadership of PN, but with little payoff, instead being “dragged down”.

Muhyiddin’s resignation was followed by other coalition and party allies following him out the door.

However, it seems that not all PAS leaders blame Bersatu, lest of all a PAS leader in Perlis.

On Dec. 31, NST quoted Perlis PAS Ulama Council Chief Ahmad Adnan Fadzil as saying that there was "no element of betrayal" in the ongoing situation in his state, and that "This situation would not have occurred had those entrusted with responsibility fulfilled their roles properly from the outset."

Top image via Muhyiddin Yassin/Facebook