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PETALING JAYA: An analyst says that the PAS should think about which ally would help it win a bigger victory in the next general election, by choosing between Umno or PPBM.
Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said that the PPBM will also have to give in to the demands of Muafakat Nasional (MN) and the reality that Umno is the strongest party in terms of grassroots support.
He told the FMT that the MN’s frequently announced rhetoric of uniting the ummah would be wasted if PAS prioritized its relationship with PPBM over Umno, adding that getting rid of the Barisan Nasional (BN) party would be costly.
“In the Umno-PAS relationship, PPBM is seen as a third party, as the third person in a relationship,” he said.
He said PAS was probably leaning more towards the PPBM because it currently has more power than Umno, as it holds the highest positions in the government.
However, he said the surest way forward for the Islamist party to remain in a place of power would be to leave Perikatan Nasional and focus only on MN.
Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob recently said that efforts to unite Malaysians cannot bypass the PPBM, adding that there should be no disputes between the three parties.
Ahmad was commenting on the statement by Umno Vice President Mohamed Khaled Nordin that Umno and PAS were strong enough to rule on their own.
However, Kelantan Umno said it was unclear whether PAS was committed to MN and warned that abandoning their alliance would cause the parties to face each other in the state in the next elections.
Kamarul Zaman Yusoff of Universiti Utara Malaysia said the recently announced PN presidential council must be established quickly to improve ties in the coalition.
“This is the place for them to fight, argue or negotiate, instead of making the media their platform to fight,” he told FMT.
