Kota kinabalu: Bersatu's significant loss in the 17th Sabah State Election has been attributed to the leadership of party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, according to Sabah Bersatu secretary Yunus Nurdin.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Yunus Nurdin stated that while Sabah Bersatu was intensively preparing for the polls, internal conflicts disrupted the party's efforts. These included disciplinary actions and expulsions against leaders and members who criticized Muhyiddin. Yunus, who is part of Bersatu's central leadership, highlighted the absence of financial support from the party for its 33 candidates during the election. This financial shortfall forced some candidates to pawn personal assets to fund their campaigns, resulting in debts.

Yunus expressed the view that Bersatu Sabah's failure in the election was embarrassing and called for Muhyiddin to take responsibility for his leadership shortcomings. He urged Muhyiddin to step down as Bersatu president and as Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman. In the recent Sabah polls, Bersatu, under the PN banner, lost all 33 seats it contested. Other PN components, such as Gerakan, lost all three seats, while PAS secured one out of five seats it contested.

Yunus further claimed that 20 out of the 24 Bersatu divisions in Sabah support the call for Muhyiddin's resignation. He and his supporters are prepared to resign en masse if the party takes unfair actions against them. Yunus emphasized that they never considered leaving Bersatu, as they had rebuilt the party in Sabah with their own resources. Instead, he suggested that weak leadership should be replaced to restore grassroots confidence.

Yunus also mentioned his inability to reach Sabah Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee and urged him to engage in resolving the ongoing issues within the party.