PAS muktamar delegates are clear on about one thing –  their arch rival Umno needs PAS’ help if it is to return to Putrajaya.

“Umno and Barisan Nasional cannot beat Pakatan Harapan on their own anymore,” Kuala Krau delegate Sharuddin Mohd Salleh told The Malaysian Insight.

“Umno had three million members, but a third has already left the party following its defeat in the general election in May. But even though PAS has only a million members, its members are steadfast,” said the 58-year-old, when asked for his views on the two parties’ plans for a tie-up to wrest federal power.

Shahruddin, however, cautioned that any cooperation had to be carefully thought through as the PAS east coast and western branches had different dynamics.

“In Kelantan and Terengganu particularly, we are already strong and in government. How are we going to cooperate and share all the seats that are up for grabs?”

He said it would not go down well with the east coast party members if they had to give up seats to their rivals.

Bagan Serai delegate Termizi Mohamad said it was a good idea to work with Umno as that could unite the Muslims.

“But at the moment, they need us more than we need them,” said the 72-year-old division leader.

Termizi, however, did not think that “everyone needs PAS”.

“When Anwar Ibrahim was sacked and jailed, PAS was the party that received him. So it would not be unusual for us to help Umno too as long as it accepts our way of Islam.”

Tanah Merah commissioner and Kelantan state exco Abdul Fattah Mahmood was more diplomatic, saying the two parties needed each other.

“The political scenario has changed a lot in the past 10 years and voters are judging us all the time. So in a situation where we both have to vie for popularity, the question of who needs the other more doesn’t arise,” said the Bukit Panau assemblyman. 

“The more important question for cooperation with Umno is whether it can accept our objectives to uphold Islam.”

Pitfalls ahead

But the long-time PAS member rejected any talk of merging with Umno or PAS becoming a component of BN.

“We can cooperate but there’s no need to join BN again.”

Termizi believed an Umno-PAS pact was important for Muslim unity.

“We can’t be split all the time,” said Termizi.

PAS, which was founded by a group of clerics from Umno in 1951, was one of the founding member parties of BN in 1972.

However, the party fell out with Umno in 1977 after the latter declared a state of emergency in Kelantan to take control of the state, prompting PAS to leave the coalition. 

The relationship between the two parties worsened in 1981 when PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang denounced Umno in a fiery speech, which came to be known as “Amanat Hadi”, at a ceramah.

Hadi had called Umno a party of infidels that kept the laws of colonialists.

Shahruddin is fully aware that the path towards reconciliation with the old enemy was certain to be a rocky one

“Some of the grassroots won’t like working with Umno because they have wronged us in the past. But PAS is a very disciplined party and they will follow instructions,” he said.

“With Umno, it will be tough on the members but without Umno we, too, cannot win Putrajaya,” he said.

Fattah believes that though difficult, the grassroots will come to terms with working with Umno.

“Kelantan has history with Umno starting from the 1970s when we were in BN and subsequently kicked out. Any decision to work with Umno will be uncomfortable.

“But just like the past, our members will be back the party once a decision has been made,” said Abdul Fattah.

BN has 54 federal seats and PAS, 18.  BN and Umno suffered humiliating defeat in GE14, resulting in them losing power for the first time in 60 years.

Following the general election, Umno and PAS had shown signs of cooperation when they each took turns giving way to the other decided to in three by-elections.

And for the first time, Umno leaders led by their party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi attended the opening on PAS muktamar in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday. –  September 16, 2018.