PAS is on the upswing and is poised to win big in GE14, ready to decimate Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan in the process. Non-Malay voters are ready to push PAS all the way to the pinnacle of power in Putrajaya.

None of the above is true.

But facts do not matter at the PAS muktamar where delegate after delegate got up yesterday to paint a rosy future for the Islamic party as it embarks on the third way – contesting the next elections under its own banner against two strong coalitions.

Despite all studies and historical data that paint a bleak future for a PAS choosing to go it alone, the delegates were insistent that PAS is on the cusp of something big in the coming election.

This thinking – a combination of being detached from reality and truly believing the vision of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang – is perhaps why delegates chose to end their alliance with PKR. In their eyes, the delegates believe that PAS has come of age and can expand the territory under its control on its own, unlike like in the past when it needed the help of Semangat 46 in 1990, and PKR and DAP in 1999, 2008 and 2013.

They completely buy Hadi’s vision that the Islamist party supported by civil society and a platform of good governance, inclusive politics will be hard to resist for the Malaysian voter.

Never mind Hadi Awang and his PAS colleagues have been anything but inclusive by pushing through a hudud amendment (Islamic Penal Code) in the Kelantan state legislature and a private member’s bill to enhance punishments for shariah offences.

Never mind that PAS share of non-Malay vote has been less than 5% whenever it contested an election without the umbrella of a coalition.

When PAS delegates such as Mohd Farhan Md Zain of the Cheras division were asked on how they would go about getting non-Muslim support, they pointed to their non-Muslim supporters wing, the DHPP.

DHPP vice-chairman Surianarayanan Sannasynaidu said it had already established a presence in all areas that had sizeable non-Muslim populations and that they have a ground game to win support.

“We won’t attack other parties but we have coffee-shop meetings, small-scale ceramah and door-to-door campaigns to explain PAS’ agenda,” said Surianarayanan, who is also Perak DHPP chief.

He also believed PAS could offer something better for non-Muslims compared with PH and BN.

“PAS is about upholding religious values. Every religion has good values and forbids drinking, gambling and adultery, but it’s only PAS that is going to enforce these prohibitions in the real world.

“So for non-Muslims, PAS will help them put their religious values into practice.”

The other tricky challenge is battling the BN and PH for a large enough slice of the Malay-Muslim vote.

A study by think-tank Invoke showed that PAS would get the least amount of votes in a multi-candidate contest against PH and BN’s Umno, which still holds sway in Malay-majority seats.

When asked about this, Farhan said he was leaving it up to the party’s central leadership and the Kuala Lumpur PAS task force to come up with a plan.

“We have an election machinery meeting in May where we will flesh out the manifesto,” said Farhan.

The same was said by Kedah PAS Youth chief Salim Mahmood who said the party was prepared to slug it out in three-cornered fights.

“The central leadership and state committee will decide on how best to tackle mutli-cornered fights.”

Repetition makes all things possible for PAS delegates. – May 1, 2017.

* Sheridan is a journalist with The Malaysian Insight. E-mail: [email protected]