PAS will keep Kelantan for five more years but will lose more seats to the new Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) coalition, analysts said.

They felt the party’s 33-year grip on the state was not about to weaken due to the emotional attachment – the old and young alike – have with the Islamist party.

This, they said, was due to the fact that PAS is viewed as a “heritage” party being passed on from one generation to another by voters in Kelantan.

They said PH-BN can take over from PAS in the next general election. But for now, they should be happy to add to their seat tally in the legislative assembly.

Kelantan is among the six states that will go to the ballot on Saturday. The others are Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Terengganu.

Independent analyst Mohd Sayuti Omar believed that PAS would still govern the state at the end of the day but warned the PH-BN partnership could win more seats than before.

“I just got back from Kelantan and I saw a possible change in the number of seats. PH-BN will add more seats.

“But that is not enough to kick PAS out of the frame. PAS will still govern the state and the opposition will win eight to 12, with a maximum of 15 seats.

“The young and old voters will still vote for PAS as sentiments towards the party are still strong.

“They see PAS as a heritage. It belongs to their ancestors. Just like the old items we keep in our house, they are no longer usable but we keep them nonetheless,” Sayuti said.

PAS took over the administration of Kelantan from BN in 1990.

However, for more than three decades, the party that emphasises Islam has done little to lift the standard of living of the people in the state.

The PAS-led government has been criticised for not being able to solve the murky water issue.

In the 44-seat state legislature, PAS and its ally Bersatu in Perikatan Nasional (PN) controlled 37 seats, with Umno holding the remaining.

For a while, when PN held federal power, there was no opposition in the assembly as Umno combined with PAS in the legislature.

But it was back to square one after the formation of the PH-BN unity federal government.

Sayuti said another reason that will stop PH-BN from taking over Kelantan was due to the unsettled rift among several Umno leaders in the state.

He also said the cooperation among PKR, Amanah and Umno in Kelantan was not solid enough.

“The internal dispute has not been dealt with properly. The unity among PKR, Amanah and Umno is still weak and will not trouble PAS.”

He added that PH-BN can take over from PAS in the next general election.

“In the future, yes, but not now. However, they can add more seats in Kelantan.

“If they can break two-thirds of the seats, that is already a victory. Adding more seats is an excellent outcome,” he said.

Universiti Malaya’s Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi agreed with Sayuti.

He said PAS is very strong in the state but Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is trying to reel in the Malay votes.

“Yes it is hard and they will not win yet. In the future I think there is hope for PH-BN.

“Anwar is trying his best as we can see he has gone to many places during this campaign period to reach voters,” Awang Azman said. – August 10, 2023.