PAS sees nothing wrong with supporting Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister while backing opposition party Umno, as both are meant to achieve the same goal – disrupt the ruling pact.

PAS leaders recently said the party would back Dr Mahathir, after claiming they detected a plot by PH component parties to oust the prime minister by pushing for a vote of no-confidence against him next month.

Rumours also surfaced that Amanah is leading the coup.

PAS, meanwhile, said it will campaign alongside Umno in the coming Semenyih by-election.

“These two things (supporting Dr Mahathir and Umno) are not contradictory,” Selangor PAS activist Hamidi Husin told The Malaysian Insight.

“We will support Dr Mahathir so that he remains prime minister. But we will still work with Umno. These are two separate things,” said Hamidi, who is aiding the Barisan Nasional campaign against PH in Semenyih.

Selangor PAS activist Shahidan Mustafa said the Islamist party will continue to campaign for the BN candidate in Semenyih, which is going to the polls following the death of its incumbent, Bakhtiar Mohd Nor, 57, from a heart attack in January.

In the by-election, Umno’s Hanapi Zakari faces PH’s Mohamad Aiman Zainali, Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul and independent Kuan Chee Heng on March 2.

“We are only supporting Dr Mahathir because PAS does not want a different prime minister. That’s all,” said Shahidan.

However, PAS’ staunchest rivals in PH, particularly Amanah, said it is this PAS attitude – of having it both ways – that shows how desperate it has become since the start of a probe into whether the party received money from Umno before the 14th general election last year.

Amanah activists said PAS’ claim that there is a a coup against Dr Mahathir and that Amanah is leading it is false, as the PH component party – some of whose leaders comprise former PAS members – have no reason to be unhappy with the 93-year-old’s leadership.

In Dr Mahathir’s cabinet, Amanah members hold 10 ministerial and deputy ministerial posts, even though the party only won 11 parliamentary seats in GE14, the fewest among the PH parties.

Amanah’s share of cabinet posts is the biggest share per MP of all four PH component parties, said the party’s Federal Territories youth chief, Nik Abdul Razak Nik Mohd Ridzuan.

“Why would Amanah want to betray Dr Mahathir? Under him, we got five ministers and five deputy ministers, despite having the smallest number of parliamentary seats.

“The accusations are baseless and meant to distract the public’s attention from PAS’ problems,” Nik Razak said.

Amiruddin Abdul Jalil of Amanah Malacca said PAS has always had Amanah in its cross hairs since its most prominent leaders left the Islamist party in 2015.

“PAS has vowed revenge against Amanah. It wants to do everything possible to split Amanah from PH, including going against the very Islamic principles it espouses,” he said.

Amanah was formed when a progressive faction of PAS leaders and members were ousted in 2015. These individuals, also PAS’ most recognisable personalities, went on to form Amanah, which then joined DAP and PKR to create PH in 2016.

PAS’ attacks against Amanah in the lead up to and after GE14 have been especially vicious. Before GE14, it predicted that Amanah would collapse after losing in the national polls.

In ceramah, PAS leaders have been heard ruing the fact that the three-year-old Amanah held federal power whereas its 60-year-old party was still stuck as the opposition.

Amanah activists have been labelled infidels and been spat on, said Amiruddin.

“Now, they go and meet Dr Mahathir to make Amanah and DAP jealous, just to try and split us up.” – February 22, 2019.