Analyst sees move to muscle out Peja before GE16
PETALING JAYA : The removal of Ahmad Faizal Azumu as Perikatan Nasional information chief is being viewed by political analysts as 'a clear sign' he is being squeezed out of the top PN leadership before the next general election.
Political analyst Tawfiq Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said the absence of an official announcement on Radzi Jidin replacing Faizal as information chief, a post to which Faizal was appointed just five months ago, clearly showed an attempt to muscle him out.
The latest development had dealt yet another blow to the reputation and image of Faizal, a former Perak menteri besar, who had been linked to other issues, including Bersatu matters in Perak.
'I'm confident that this change is linked to his declining performance and the growing wave of rejection against him,' Tawfiq told FMT. 'PN was in a dilemma – if the change wasn't made, internal pressure from within Bersatu and PN against Faizal would have become increasingly difficult to contain.'
Last month, several Bersatu assemblymen and division leaders in Perak were said to be unhappy with Faizal for seeking a change of acting opposition leader in the state assembly.
He had sent a letter requesting that Sungai Manik assemblyman Zainol Fadzi Paharudin swap seats with Changkat Jong assemblyman Nadziruddin Bandi, a change deemed to be part of a power struggle for the role of acting opposition leader.
However, Faizal said the request was simply because Nadziruddin was recently promoted to Perak Bersatu secretary, which Zainol had relinquished.
But his leadership abilities were called into question by analysts after Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin was reportedly assigned to alleviate tensions in the state party.
In December, Faizal took over as PN information chief from Azmin Ali, who was made secretary-general, while Radzi was also appointed to the PN Supreme Council.
Earlier this week, Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari revealed Radzi's appointment after saying the latter had chaired a meeting as PN information chief.
Faizal was elected Bersatu vice-president alongside Radzi and Ronald Kiandee in November, after agreeing not to defend the deputy president's post to make way for Hamzah.
In the 2022 general election, Faizal lost his Tambun parliamentary seat to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim by 3,736 votes. He also opted not to defend the Chenderiang state seat he won in the 2018 polls.
Radzi's new role in PN could inject some much-needed spirit into the machinery, says Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, as Faizal seemed to be ineffective in the role.
He said the party machinery under the information chief played a crucial role in spreading the coalition's messages to Malaysians.
'The dissemination of information is very important in order to boost PN's momentum,' he said. 'This is aimed at bolstering the coalition's position as a challenger to the Madani government'.
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