Why do Bersatu and Pejuang struggle with leadership depth beyond their top figures?

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Bersatu and Pejuang struggle with leadership depth beyond their top figures because their internal leadership bench is portrayed as comparatively anonymous, revolving, and over-centred on their dominant leaders.

The coverage frames Bersatu and Pejuang as parties whose appeal is heavily tied to their top leadership, with less widely recognised figures below them. It points to Bersatu’s “revolving door” of “middling ex-Umno leaders,” while describing Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu as so little-known that even a “pub quiz” would struggle to name additional members from the main Bersatu committee. For Pejuang, it contrasts party president Mukhriz Mahathir with Mahathir Mohamad, saying “all the firepower is with Mahathir,” and that Mukhriz is “the moon to his father’s burning sun,” implying the spotlight and influence remain concentrated at the top.
The “revolving door” and low recognisability in Bersatu’s committee
Bersatu is described as having a pattern of movement where ex-Umno figures cycle between parties, characterised as a “revolving door of middling ex-Umno leaders.” In that context, the piece says Bersatu’s deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu is not well-known, and it would be difficult to name three more individuals from the main Bersatu committee. This is presented as a practical challenge for leadership depth because fewer names are recognisable to observers beyond the top tier.
Pejuang’s leadership focus remains centred on Mahathir Mohamad
For Pejuang, the coverage portrays leadership depth as constrained by a hierarchy of visibility and influence. It states that party president Mukhriz Mahathir is overshadowed by his father Mahathir Mohamad, describing Mukhriz as “the moon to his father’s burning sun.” The implication in the framing is that “all the firepower is with Mahathir,” leaving less perceived independent space for other party figures to stand out.
Comparisons with Umno’s visible bench and Bersatu’s anonymity
The piece contrasts the two parties’ leadership depth problems with how Umno is seen by casual observers. It says Umno has “many recognisable faces” associated with its internal “mess,” and claims there are many who have pursued power inside the party, “even if for personal use,” resulting in the “highest number of leaders.” Against that backdrop, Bersatu is depicted as having less of an identifiable cast, while Pejuang is depicted as lacking the same breadth beyond the Mahathir name.
The immediate electoral environment keeps attention on top leaders
The leadership-depth issue is also placed inside an election-focused frame where voters are said to weigh top figures heavily. The coverage argues that the choice of menteri besar is “inconsequential” compared with whether voters back Muhyiddin Yassin, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, or Mahathir Mohamad, with the ranking given as Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Ismail Sabri, then Hadi. In that environment, parties with less widely known figures beyond the top leadership—Bersatu and Pejuang in particular—are portrayed as struggling to project depth beyond their leading names.

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Why do Bersatu and Pejuang struggle with leadership depth beyond their top figures?

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