PAS is thinking twice about committing to Umno’s unity government proposal as it does not want to sour relations with the Pakatan Haparan federal administration from which it has derived many benefits, analysts said.

Political scientist Dr Mazlan Ali said in the past 10 months, the PAS-led Kelantan and Terengganu governments have received more benefits from the PH federal government than it ever dreamed of in all the decades Barisan Nasional was in Putrajaya.

For the first time in history, Kelantan is getting petroleum royalties while Terengganu is getting the royalties reinstated.

Just last week, Kelantan was given RM1.4 billion in infrastructure projects, including highways, that the state has long asked for.

Such beneficial relations with Putrajaya, Mazlan said, means PAS is wary of upsetting PH, which the party will certainly do by entering a pact to form a unity government with PH’s nemesis, Umno, and Barisan Nasional which it leads, said Mazlan.

“PAS sees the package offered by the federal government as more important than a unity government tie-up with Umno. It does not want to risk offending PH.

“So it’s not easy for PAS to just accept the unity government proposal.”

Also, PAS does not need Umno’s help in Terengganu and Kelantan as the Islamist party holds huge majorities in the two state assemblies.

In Kelantan, PAS holds 37 of the 45 seats in the state legislature and in Terengganu, 22 of 32 seats.

The idea of a unity government was proposed by acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan, who suggested that the two parties could form joint governments in Terengganu and Kelantan, held by PAS, and in Perlis and Pahang, which are BN states.

The proposal has received a muted response from PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who appears non-committal.

Mazlan said this is because PAS has to consider the views of all sides, including PH component party Bersatu, and how it would react to a PAS-Umno pact as proposed by Mohamad.

Another political scientist, Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said it made more sense for Umno and PAS to form an opposition bloc in states like Perak and Kedah, where PH has a narrow majority.

In Kedah, PH holds 19 of the 36 seats in the state assembly, followed by PAS (15) and BN (2). In Perak, PH has 30 of the 59 state seats, BN has 25 and PAS (3). An independent holds one seat.

Awang Azman said PAS and Umno should work on shifting the little support it needs in these two states to wrest them from PH.

“I don’t see the logic of focusing on the four states. They should think ahead and look at Perak and Kedah where the political situation is very sensitive,” said Awang Azman of Universiti Malaya.

“It is not impossible for these two states to fall in the next general election as people are still unhappy with the PH federal government. If there are no tangible changes, I think they will change the government.” – March 12, 2019.