EVEN as top PAS and Umno leaders grow closer together, the Islamist party’s supporters in their stronghold of Kelantan remain wary of their former political rivals.

While younger Kelantan folk are open to deeper cooperation between the two, a history of betrayal and decades of enmity between the two since PAS took over Kelantan in 1990 have made older supporters distrust Umno.

Although many are more accepting of an alliance, PAS supporters still feel Umno leaders cannot be fully trusted as they are mired in corruption allegations.

Wan Ahmad said Kelantanese like him are uncomfortable with the budding relationship between the two parties.

The 61-year-old restaurant operator said he could accept any collaboration on general issues, such as Muslim unity, but not political cooperation.

“Many here are put off by the PAS-Umno cooperation. It’s just something that is happening at the national level but not here in Kelantan,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Rahim, 55, echoed these sentiments, saying that there has not been any official word yet from PAS headquarters on whether the two parties are forming a pact.

“We’re still like before. PAS with PAS, Umno with Umno. We can’t accept Umno because Umno betrayed us before,” Rahim said referring to the 1977 state crisis when the then PAS government was brought down by a no-confidence vote.

PAS, which was then part of the Barisan Nasional coalition, left the alliance after it felt betrayed by Umno, which it blamed for triggering the crisis.

Once bitter enemies, PAS and Umno have grown closer as opposition parties and have started campaigning together in by-elections, the most recent being Semenyih.

Umno, which contested under the BN banner, grabbed back the Selangor state seat from Pakatan Harapan, thanks in part to PAS voters who backed their one-time rival.

On Tuesday, PAS and Umno announced they would form a technical committee to explore the creation of a more formal pact.

The young want Malay-Muslim unity

But even as older PAS supporters view their newfound allies with suspicion, younger Kelantanese are open to collaborating as they feel that the position of Malays and Islam is threatened by the new PH government.

For Nik, 39, PAS must be the dominant party for him to accept any PAS-Umno coalition.

“People here can accept a PAS-Umno pact but we still have our doubts about them. We know Umno’s history and many of their leaders are corrupt,” said the 39-year-old who runs a motorcycle workshop in Kota Baru.

“PAS must lead any coalition with Umno,” Nik told The Malaysian Insight.

He accepted closer PAS-Umno ties as he felt that the PH government was not looking after Malays and Islam.

“Their policies are sidelining the special status of the Malays, such as Tabung Haji and Felda. This is making Kelantanese upset with the federal government.”

PAS, he said, was the kingmaker in attracting the Malay vote.

“Otherwise, why would Dr Mahathir Mohamad come out with a statement saying that PAS supported him as prime minister.”

Faisal Halim, 45, said PAS supporters backed Umno as the latter was committed towards protecting the special status of Malays and Islam.

“Although we have been enemies with Umno, and I admit the wariness is there, but we have no choice.

“As we see in the government, it’s DAP that is calling the shots,” Faisal said, referring to the Chinese-majority multiracial party that has been cast as the bogeyman by Umno and PAS.

“For example, we now see so many insults towards the Prophet, what is the government doing?”

Another resident, Noor Ahmad, 52, said he saw no problems in an Umno-PAS alliance.

“I think, okay, I could accept something like this. After all it’s for Malays and Islam.” – March 7, 2019.