PAS’ relationship with Umno and Bersatu is expected to top the agenda of the party’s 66th annual general meeting (muktamar), which begins today, said analysts.

“Delegates will use this year’s muktamar to clarify the status of their political alliance with Umno and Bersatu,” said Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali.

While everything seems good in the tripartite of Malay parties, there appears to be inconsistencies on where their focus should be, he said.

Mazlan said while Umno and PAS have invited Bersatu to join them in Muafakat Nasional (MN), there appears to be some reluctance from Umno grassroots, who want a referendum on the issue.

“To add to this, PAS has now joined Bersatu to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, although Umno has flat out refused. So, where will PAS stand if there is a conflict between Umno, which leads Barisan Nasional (BN), and Bersatu which leads PN,” said Mazlan.

As it is, Bersatu and PAS will contest the Sabah elections that begin tomorrow under the PN banner while Umno will contest under the BN banner.

PAS has joined STAR, SAPP and Bersatu to register the PN coalition. Umno, meanwhile, said it only supports PN as the government of the day but will not join the coalition.

Although Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has not commented on the issue, the former deputy prime minister hinted that some “loyalty” is amiss.

The issue goes back to last year, when Umno and PAS decided to form the all Malay-Muslim MN alliance to fight the Pakatan Harapan government.

With both sides in the opposition for the first time since independence, the two biggest Malay-Muslim parties decided this was the best way to stop PH as more than 100 of the 165 Parliament seats in the peninsula are Malay-majority seats.

Employing a strategy that centred on playing on Malay anxiety and not contesting against each other, the MN formula was able to win seven by-elections for BN – Cameron Highlands, Semenyih, Rantau, Tg Piai, Kimanis, Chini and Slim.

And even in the by-elections that they did not win, the Umno and PAS candidates saw a marked improvement in their share of popular votes as both parties yielded their votes to one another.

The two-party relationship, however, has become complicated after the emergence of Bersatu, which is led by Prime Minister and former Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Although Bersatu is seen as the weakest among the three parties, it nevertheless leads the government with Muhyiddin as prime minister after the party triggered the collapse of PH by withdrawing from the coalition.

Bersatu itself is in a perilous situation. While it leads the PN government with 31 MPs, only six came from the party itself. The bulk of its MPs are defectors; 15 from Umno and 10 from PKR.

“But PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s policy speech on Saturday will set the tone for where he wants the party to go,” said Mazlan.

Mazlan said he won’t be surprised if Hadi attempts to justify their relationship with both Umno and Bersatu by stressing on the importance of Malay unity although Bersatu is the smallest party.

The 66th annual muktamar will begin today with the women’s wing in Kuala Lumpur while the youth and ulama conventions will take place in Kelantan tomorrow. The main delegates will hold their meeting in Kelantan on Sunday.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, PAS has limited the number of delegates attending to 400, with live telecasts on its party channels.

PAS is the first government party and first political party to hold its AGM during the recovery movement-control order (RMCO) period.

Governance and sin

Unlike its previous muktamar, PAS may not be as “extreme” in its criticism against “sinful” activities, such as gambling and alcohol, said International Islamic University Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar.

“There will be adjustments it has to make instead of just criticising, as it is now part of the federal government.

“Policies that are close to them such as Islamic law will probably be high on the agenda but it will be interesting to see where they go on the sin activities,” said the political science lecturer.

Mazlan also expects the Islamists to “tone” down on the rhetoric against the government.

“The women, youth and ulama wings will raise the issue of how the government could do more to discourage or ban alcohol consumption and gambling but I don’t expect them to go very far,” said Mazlan.

“Unlike Kelantan and Terengganu, PAS is not alone anymore as there is MCA, MIC, and so many other non-Malay parties from Borneo.

“As it is, one of their MPs has already caused quite a storm in Sabah and Sarawak after alleging that the Bible had been altered,” said Mazlan.

Last week, GPS slammed Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Nik Salleh for saying that Christians are not allowed to drink alcohol but the Bible had been distorted to permit it.

But Tunku Mohar warned that PAS delegates may take the opportunity to call for a full ban against nightclubs and entertainment outlets.

“I expect them to follow up on this after one of their ministers spoke on this,” said Tunku Mohar.

Taking the cue from Muhyiddin, Primary Industries Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali – who caused an uproar for not complying with a mandatory 14-day quarantine after returning from Turkey – said pubs and nightclubs should be closed permanently.

Taking to his Facebook page, Khairuddin, fined RM1,000 fine for breaking quarantine, said it is better for those who drink to do so at home “with your friends”.

There are no legalised pubs or places that offer alcohol in PAS-ruled Kelantan. There are also no legalised betting outlets, such as numbers forecast in Kelantan and Terengganu, also run by PAS.

PAS closed all numbers forecast outlets in Terengganu after winning the state in 1999.

This is the first time that PAS will hold its annual convention as a party in federal government since December 1977, when then president Asri Muda pulled the party out of BN after a fallout with Umno.

While the Islamists are expected to dial down the rhetoric against the government, it will still have to maintain its pace against certain sins, lest it lose its faithful followers. – September 11, 2020.