IN the run-up to the 14th general election, a good day for Amanah would mean receiving 20 applications to join the two-year-old political party.

These days, the norm is about 1,000 applications a day. 

The reason for the surge in interest: ‎the party’s strong showing in the polls. 

In addition to winning 11 parliamentary seats and 34 state seats, Amanah also has three ministers, one chief minister and 14 state exco members in its ranks.

Amanah secretary-general Mohd Anuar Tahir said before GE14, the party had about 100,000 members.

“But since last week, some 1,000 membership applications have been submitted to the party on a daily basis, compared to around 20 a day prior to GE14,” he said.

Every state and division has reported an increase in requests for membership forms, he said.

“In Temerloh itself, 5,000 forms were given out yesterday,” said Anuar, who is also Temerloh’s member of parliament.

‎Most of those applying to join the party are former PAS members, he said.

“There are also Umno members, Chinese and also Indians. I’m also working at getting Orang Asli to be Amanah members, too,” Anuar told Malaysia Decides.

Since splitting from Islamist party PAS, Amanah has struggled to increase its membership numbers.

‎Anuar said many PAS members had expressed a desire to join Amanah prior to GE14, but feared being attacked and ostracised. They also wondered about the longevity of the PAS breakaway party, noting Amanah candidates performed poorly in the two by-elections a year before GE14.‎

“But after we proved that our way was the true way, and won big in the general election and also secured strong positions in the government, all doubts of joining Amanah have disappeared,” he said.

Amanah’s top three leaders, Mohamad Sabu, Salahudin Ayub and Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, have been appointed ministers in the new Pakatan Harapan administration.

Malacca Amanah chairman Adly Zahary is now the chief minister after the coalition wrested control of the state from Barisan Nasional.

Another 14 state-level Amanah leaders have been appointed as state exco members in other Pakatan Harapan-controlled states, namely in Johor (3), Negri Sembilan (2), Malacca (1), Selangor (2), Perak (3) and Kedah (3). – May 25, 2018.