KUALA LUMPUR – Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz is in talks to leave Umno and join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), in a move that could strain ties between the two allies in Malaysia’s unity government.
On Dec 15, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is PKR’s president, confirmed to reporters that the minister was in preliminary talks to join the party.
“As a principle, we maintain an open stance – anyone who can contribute to the party is welcome, but the entry must be done properly to ensure our relationships with other parties, including Umno, (remain unaffected),” Datuk Seri Anwar told reporters after opening the PKR special national congress in Kuala Lumpur.
On the night of Dec 15, Datuk Seri Zafrul said in a post on X that he has had talks with PKR but has not made any decision yet, and would inform Umno party leaders if he were to do so.
Rumours of Mr Zafrul’s possible defection had already sparked criticism from Umno.
On Dec 14, Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh called upon his party’s central leadership to reconsider its support for the unity government.
“If our own ‘friends’ in the government cannot respect Umno and BN by recruiting a member from their own ally party, we must reconsider this relationship,” he said.
Umno is part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
Dr Akmal said this was not the first time that allied parties had tried to poach Umno members, saying that Perikatan Nasional parties also tried to do so when they were allies in the government from 2020 to 2022.
This time, Umno must take a “firm stance” against poaching, he stressed.
Political analyst Oh Ei Sun told The Straits Times that this party-hopping will definitely strain ties between Umno and PKR, and Umno has no choice but to protest against the move.
However, the Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow pointed out that even though Mr Zafrul is part of his party’s supreme council, he is still not part of Umno’s mainstream leadership.
“I hardly think they will miss him and are secretly happy to see him go,” said Dr Oh.
Mr Zafrul resigned from his position as Selangor Umno treasurer on April 1.
PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said on Dec 13 that she has not received any application from Mr Zafrul.
On Dec 14, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters that he was unaware of Mr Zafrul’s intentions to leave the party for PKR, but reminded Umno leaders to prioritise the party’s interests over personal ones.
Datuk Seri Zahid, who is the deputy prime minister, also advised parties in the ruling coalition to avoid accepting members from allied parties.
“If the opposite happens, they will certainly feel hurt. So, in such a situation, we should maintain unity among ourselves,” he said.
Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin also said on Dec 15 that unity government parties should respect one another in this matter to maintain harmony within the ruling coalition.
Professor Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at Sunway University, told ST that what is at stake for Umno, PKR and Mr Zafrul is the ministerial position Mr Zafrul currently holds.
Mr Zafrul is not an elected MP but an appointed senator. His term will end on Dec 2, 2025 – disqualifying him from federal ministership.
“Going by Malaysia’s coalition politics’ rule, Mr Anwar should replace Mr Zafrul as the investment, trade and industry minister with an Umno member, as there are more than 10 Umno backbenchers who can hold that post,” said Prof Wong.
But Mr Anwar wants PKR to take the investment, trade and industry portfolio, he added.
So, one way is to swop that position with that of Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, a PKR member who is a federal and state lawmaker through the Gombak seat and the Sungai Tua constituency, respectively.
In order to make the exchange, Datuk Seri Amirudin needs to vacate his Sungai Tua seat so that Mr Zafrul can contest there in a by-election.
This would be a win-win for PKR and Mr Zafrul, who is known for his strong relations with Malaysia’s influential royal houses, as he will not have to wait in the political wilderness till the next general election, which could be as late as 2027, Prof Wong said.
In his post on Dec 15, Mr Zafrul said he has not discussed such a swop.
“I have had preliminary discussions with PKR, but I stress that they did not involve any discussions for state-level positions or by-elections,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Amirudin said on Dec 14 that Selangor’s sultan had advised him to stay in Selangor until the end of this term, to ensure the stability of Selangor’s economy and unity government.
A source in Selangor PKR who requested anonymity told ST that a midterm chief minister swop is not currently on the cards.
“Discussions are for Zafrul to contest a parliamentary by-election in Selangor and remain in the Cabinet until the next general election. This is expected to happen after PKR’s party polls next year, which Anwar has said he wants expedited,” the source said.
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