Larut Member of Parliament Hamzah Zainudin has described remarks by Muhyiddin Yassin questioning his meetings with several political leaders as “childish”.
Hamzah, who also serves as the Opposition Leader, said there was nothing wrong with him meeting any political figure, including ministers or Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as part of his responsibilities as a politician.
He stressed that meetings between political leaders should not be treated as controversial, noting that such engagements are common in the political landscape.
“Why must I inform Tan Sri Muhyiddin? I am the Opposition Leader. If I want to meet Anthony Loke from Democratic Action Party (DAP), can’t I? I am the Opposition Leader and he is a minister. If I want to meet the Deputy Prime Minister, can’t I?” he told reporters.
Hamzah added that the concerns raised were unnecessary and suggested the criticism was merely an excuse to justify his removal from the party.
“Why should he be afraid? Does he think Zahid can remove him as party president? That is just an excuse to sack me. There is no need to create unnecessary stories. At our age, such behaviour is childish,” he said.
He made the remarks after presenting contributions to surau and mosques in the Larut parliamentary constituency on Thursday.
According to Hamzah, allegations that he had betrayed the party were merely a justification for disciplinary action against him.
In a separate development, he confirmed receiving invitations from several political parties to join them, including the Parti Keluarga Malaysia (PKM).
Hamzah revealed that discussions with the party had reached about 90 per cent completion, although a final decision has yet to be made.
“Many leaders of smaller parties believe that my involvement could help strengthen their parties and allow them to emerge as national-level players,” he said.
He added that he had not only met PKM leaders but also representatives from several other parties, and would make a decision after assessing their objectives and political direction.
Commenting on Muhyiddin’s statement that he would reject any party joined by Hamzah from cooperating with Perikatan Nasional (PN), Hamzah said the matter should not be overblown.
He noted that political cooperation can take many forms if the goals of the struggle are accepted by the public.
“If the people say I can work with PN, then we can cooperate. There are many ways to form political cooperation,” he said, adding that public support remains the most important factor.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said he would continue the annual tradition of providing contributions to surau and mosques in the Larut constituency during Ramadan.
He said a total of 113 surau and 41 mosques in the area received assistance this year to help prepare meals for breaking fast.
Earlier reports quoted Muhyiddin as saying he would reject any attempt by Hamzah and the party he joins in the future to cooperate with PN.
Muhyiddin said he needed to be more cautious after what he described as a betrayal, adding that he did not want a similar situation to occur again.
